The Good Life
by L.J. Murder-Root
Summary: Summary Inside  rated M for Language, Graphic violence,, Drug referance as well as drug use, and Sexual content,  Naruto x Hinata  OC x Sakura  Ein x Zwei
1. Summary

Chapter 1: prologue

The Good Life

This story is a crossover, my very very first (Not to mention the very very first Phantom Naruto crossover).

The Hyuga and the Uchiha are two very powerful yakuza families. The Uchiha rule the west coast and the Huyga rule the east. For Inferno to create a new order, the two families must annexed or be eliminated. This would be so simple, if the two families didn't train Phantoms as well.

Naruto x Hinata

Ein x Zwei

And Hikaru x Sakura

Hope you enjoy it

~Happy Murder~


	2. Hyuga

Chapter 2: Hyuga

*Flashback six years in the past*

Naruto lay on the pile of rags that served as his bed in the small shack that was his room. The only light that entered the compact room was a hole that had been made through the back wall. His body was covered in bruises from his training, and his cuts were warped in dirty gauze. He was not allowed any good clothing, only a bloody torn shirt, and pants made from the rags. He would often look out the window in hopes that someday he would be rescued from the hell that was his life, but nothing ever came. Though he was only ten years of age, he had thought about taking his life many times. He thought if he were dead, then at least his master wouldn't be able to beat him anymore.

As these thoughts ran through his head, he heard his master unlocking the chains to his door. His master, a man with salt and pepper hair, a scarred face, and a misshapen figure, walked in. He raised his cane and struck Naruto's left leg

"Get up!"

Naruto was taught not to show any sign of pain. If he cried, whimpered, or even shut his eyes when he was hit, his master would whip him and clean his wounds with water condensed with salt.

Naruto Walked out of his dark shack to the bloodstained courtyard. His eyes were still adjusting to the light when he reached where his master wanted him. He looked at his surroundings. He saw the children he regularly trained with in a line up facing a man and young girl. When Naruto saw her, he wasn't able to look away. She had the prettiest face he had seen in his life.

The girl turned away blushing when she noticed the boy staring.

Naruto's master gasped "Lord Hyuga, please forgive me for this...he's just a stupid child..."

He grabbed Naruto and forced him to the ground "How dare you look at Lord Hyuga's daughter like that!" He beat Naruto's head repeatedly with his cane "You have no right to look at those above your station!" Blood began to spill onto his face as his master mercilessly struck him. Naruto felt himself losing consciousness, and expected his master would only continue to beat him after he woke up.

As the decrepit man raised his arm for another strike, Hinata held his arm.

"Please stop! He didn't do anything wrong...don't hurt him anymore..." She began to cry.

The man put his cane back on the ground "Please forgive me Ms. Hyuga."

Naruto felt completely delirious. The ground felt like it was spinning under his motionless body.

As he looked up, he saw the girl.

'...Is... She crying for me?...Why...No one's ever done that before...'

She took a pink handkerchief out of her pocket and wiped the blood from forehead.

"All of these boys look very promising. I will need to see their skills first hand tomorrow if that's alright." The girl's father said.

The man nodded "Of course Lord Hyuga. Everything will be ready for you by tomorrow morning."

"Good." The mob boss looked at his daughter, still occupied by wiping the blood off the blonde boy's brow "Make sure you take care of that boy. I think you may have beaten him too harshly."

The man bowed once more "As you wish."

Naruto's vision became blurry, and all sounds meshed together. The last thing he saw before his vision blacked out was the face of the girl who had shown him the only kindness he had ever known.

When he woke up, he was back in his room. He sat up to feel his bandaged head where his cruel master had beaten him, and where the kind girl had helped him.

"Listen to me."

Naruto shook as he heard the scratchy voice of his master. He saw his figure as he walked up to the rags where Naruto sat.

"The only reason I helped you, was because Lord Hyuga told me to."

He grabbed Naruto by the collar and pulled him close "You better pray that Lord Hyuga decides to buy you tomorrow. Cause if he doesn't, I'll kill you myself."

He threw Naruto back onto his rags, and left the room.

Naruto began to cry for the first time in many years. He cursed his cruel fate; that he would die after he was finally given a taste of kindness. He knew tomorrow would probably be his last day he would see the girl who had selflessly helped him. If he wasn't chosen by the girl's father, he would kill himself before his master had a chance to. If he did this, at least the last thing he would see would be the girl who had spared him.

The morning sky's light shown through the hole in Naruto's wall. He sluggishly woke up on what would possibly be his last day alive.

He heard his master unchain his door, and let him out. He watched as the other boys were preparing for their skill inspection. With every step, Naruto felt the bloody remains of yesterday's training underneath his feet.

He saw the girl and her father walk with his master to the courtyard accompanied by a bodyguard. The little girl ran to Naruto once she spotted him.

She awkwardly stood in front of him "Um...are you...feeling any better?"

He rubbed the back of his head "Yeah...Thank you. He would have killed me if you hadn't stepped in."

She smiled "It's no problem...it was my fault he beat you after all..."

"Naruto!" His master yelled "Get over here and choose a gun!"

Naruto bowed to the young Hyuga, and ran to comply with his Master's wishes. Naruto chose a .45 Colt, and a dagger for close range combat.

Whenever buyers came, the children were forced to fight each other one on one. The winner of the fight would be the one left alive.

"You already know what we're gonna do." The man said "So do your best, and try not to die."

He examined each boy to see who to pair together.

"Naruto and Rock Lee."

This match was fixed for Naruto to lose. Rock Lee was the most skilled boy at the compound, and could easily kill Naruto if he wanted to.

As the two entered the center of the courtyard, all eyes were on them as they took their corners.

Naruto tried to control the shaking in his legs, but he couldn't. His life depended on his match, and it already seemed as if he had one foot in the grave.

"Fight!"

As the two came closer to each other, he noticed Rock Lee put his guard down. He smiled and winked at the blonde assassin, and faced the Hyuga boss.

"Now!" with those words, Rock Lee shot the guard the two Hyugas' walked in with "Today is the day we claim our freedom!" Four boys ran from the line up to join him in his escape attempt. They opened fire on the boys who refused to follow them, as well as their master. A majority of the boys took cover with their master as the renegade assassins ran towards the Hyugas'. Rock lee stared into the Hyuga boss's eyes "You think you can own us? You have no right to own a child who has been this broken." He and his daughter stood still.

"What do you want from me?" He sternly asked.

Rock Lee smirked "I want you to feel the pain we have felt because of people like you. I want the life of your daughter."

Hinata heart felt like it was going to stop. She and her father were both staring down the barrel of five guns in the hands of children forgotten by society. Hinata closed her eyes and prepared to receive the gunshot that would end her life.

The last noise heard was the sound of a gun going off, and a body dropping.

She opened her eyes to see what had happened. The boy who had held her at gunpoint had a bullet hole going through his neck. She looked to see who had saved her. She saw a smoking gun in the hands of the blonde boy she had helped the day before.

The four remaining boys shot at Naruto to get revenge for the boy who would have granted their freedom. Naruto was able to doge every shot that the boys took. When he returned fire, he hit two boys in the sternum, and the other two in the head.

The rest of the boys came out to see what the outcome of the standoff was. Everyone, including the master, was surprised to see Naruto was the only one who survived.

Hinata began to cry into her father's arm. This was the first time she had ever been so close to a shootout, as well as the first time her life had been threatened. Hiashi held the girl close to him as he tried to calm her.

The misshapen master ran to the two Hyugas "Lord Hyuga...p...please forgive me...I had no idea this would happen..."

"Boy." He called out to Naruto "Come here at once." Naruto dropped his gun to the ground, and slowly made his way to the Hyuga boss.

"I'll be taking this one." He told the man.

Naruto was overcome with joy. His eyes started to tear as he heard that he would be released from the training ground and from his horrible master who ruled it.

"Of course Lord Hyuga...to make up for this incident, there will be no charge for him."

Hiashi made no effort to acknowledge the man.

"You saved my life, and the life of my daughter, I humbly thank you, Naruto."

*End Flashback*

In the main hall of the Hyuga mansion, the Hyuga heiress and her personal body guard sat before the head of the yakuza family, Hiashi Hyuga. The Hyuga family controlled the entire east coast of the United States. Their family not only trafficked the purest heroin and cocaine, but their hired assassins were the most in demand. In the event of Hiashi's death, Hinata would inherit the entire Hyuga business, including the yakuza family. Though Hinata had been born and bred in this lifestyle, she hated the world of murder, prostitution, and drugs. She worried for the life of her father, who cheated death more times than he could count, and her sister, who managed the family's drug trade.

Each of Hiashi's daughters were assigned a bodyguard. This guard's life would be entwined with the person he protected. If the person he defended was killed, he would be killed as punishment.

Originally, Neji Hyuga, Hinata's cousin was chosen to be her bodyguard, but she refused. The bodyguard she entrusted her life to, was Naruto Uzumaki, the Phantom of the Hyugas. Naruto was brought into the Hyuga family when he was only ten. His parents had sold him to a buyer in Minnesota when he was a newborn. From the day he could walk, he was taught how to kill, and nothing more.

"Father, why did you call us here?"

Hiashi directed his attention to her bodyguard "I wish to use your bodyguard in my next mission. Being the head of the family, I have every right to use him as I please even without your consent, but I thought it polite to ask this of you."

Hinata avoided eye contact with the man. The quiet intensity of his eyes could force the strongest man to fall to his knees and quake with fear. His eyes told dark stories of death, and betrayal, ones that Hinata, couldn't face.

"Of course father...He's your tool after all..."

He nodded "Naruto, your mission is simple. A group of my most trusted workers made off with twenty kilos of uncut Vietnamese cocaine. We believe they're headed to New Jersey to meet a contact from the Uchiha family. We don't believe the contact is aware this transaction hasn't been authorized by me, so unless he causes you trouble, don't kill him." Hiashi stood and turned away. "We haven't had any problems with the Uchiha family before; I wish to keep things that way."

Hiashi dismissed the two. Naruto silently accompanied Hinata to her room. He made sure to walk at least two steps behind the heiress as he had been instructed. Hinata opened her door, and lead Naruto into her room. Hinata's room was the size of a one bedroom apartment. She had a widescreen television mounted on her wall, and a queen sized bed tucked in the corner by the door to her balcony. She had studio lighting, and had an amazing stereo system.

Once she was sure no one was around to listen in on them, Hinata embraced Naruto.

"Naruto, I'm so sorry… I didn't mean what I said about you..."

Naruto smiled and looked at her angelic face as tears filled her pale eyes. He brushed her long dark blue hair with his fingers as he looked into glistening eyes "It's fine Hinata. I know it would be bad for both of us if your father knew."

He wiped a tear off of her cheek "I know, but..."

He closed his eyes as his lips gently touched hers. She held on to his back as his tongue entered her mouth. She was beyond the point of nervousness. She had never experienced a kiss like this before. She savored every last moment of it.

When they parted, Hinata's cheeks were completely flushed red. Naruto smiled "You look so cute like that, Hinata."

Hinata covered her face. She hated when Naruto teased her like that. He lead Hinata onto her king sized bed with white silk bed sheets. As she sat down on the bedside, Naruto removed her shoes.

He sat beside her and put his hand on hand on her shoulder.

She turned an even darker shade of red as he kissed slowly down her neck. Hinata knew what he wanted, and she couldn't say she didn't wait it herself. She had known Naruto for so long, and loved him for the same amount of time. If she wanted to have her first time be with anyone, Naruto would always be her choice.

Naruto unzipped her purple and white Hyuga crested jacket revealing her black fishnet shirt. He quickly removed her shirt. Her heart raced as he lifted the shirt over her head revealing her bare chest. She had never exposed herself in this way to anyone else. The only reason she let Naruto do this was because of her deep rooted trust and love for the blonde assassin. He lightly grasped her breast. It was as warm as it was soft in his palm. Hinata gasped as he massaged and squeezed the soft flesh. With every touch, Hinata's body begged for more. Naruto knew exactly what she wanted from him. He slid his hand into the waist of her pants. When he touched her moist sex, her back arched as she let out a cry of pleasure. As he continued to focus on her sensitive spot, her moans grew louder. He silenced her moans with another deep and passionate kiss. Hinata felt herself on the verge of climax. Naruto began to be rougher with her womanhood. He moved his fingers faster every second as he rubber her.

She squeezed his hand in between her thighs as she was about to let all ecstasy culminate and release from her body. As Naruto was about to deliver the final rub that would grant his lover the orgasm she had been desperately waiting for, they heard a loud knock on the door.

Startled by this, Hinata quickly hid covered herself with her comforter and Naruto threw himself on the floor. The door began to open, and Naruto looked for a place to hide himself.

The moment he found some place that would completely conceal his body, the man at the other end of the door walked in.

Naruto closed his eyes, and prepared himself for whatever beating he would receive for trying to seclude the Hyuga heiress.

"Naruto, get the hell up off the floor." He recognized the annoyed tone of the man who had walked in.

"Neji. Oh thank God it's you." Naruto Sighed.

"Hinata, it's no use pretending. I know you're awake."

Hinata sat up in her bed, covering her body with her comforter. Her cheeks remained as red as they had been when Naruto was caressing her body "H...hello, Brother."

Neji shook his head "Come on Naruto. We have a mission to complete. Be ready in two minutes."

He began to close her door "And another thing. You two should try to be quieter, I could hear you from all the way down the hall.

Hinata buried her face in her hands. She didn't think she was being that loud.

Naruto kissed her on the cheek "Don't worry Hinata, it's no big deal, it just means you were enjoying yourself."

Her eyes left the palms of her hands, and met his smiling face "I did...but...I wish we could have..."

He silenced her with a kiss to her lips "Don't worry, we will as soon as I get back."

She caught the contagious smile of the blonde boy "I love you, Naruto."

"I love you too, Hinata." He walked out of the Hyuga heiress's room. He truly did love her. She was the first person to show him kindness in a world full of hate, as well as the one who saved him from the hell he grew up in.

Author's note: Okay first off, spoiler alert, Naruto, nor any of the Hyuga family will be in the next chapter. I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, I love Naruto and Phantom Requiem for the Phantom, so for me having both in one is win-freakin-win. And when will I bring Inferno into the picture? You'll see, just you wait and see :)

Preview: On the west coast, the Young head of the Uchiha family rules supreme. His name is well known throughout the major crime families who dare to even plot against his empire. The only name that is respected and feared more than his is the names of his Phantom.

Chapter 3: Uchiha

~Happy Murder~


	3. Uchiha

Chapter 3: Uchiha

On the streets of a crowded highway, one man on a motorcycle shot at the motorcycle in front of him.

"Hikaru! I'm leading him; he's right on my tale like we wanted!"

The man bike spoke through a communicator inside of his helmet.

A young man barely out of his late teens saw the scene that his partner was creating through the scope of a sniper rifle. He smirked "Yeah you sure did, but it looks like you pissed him off pretty bad."

The man on the motorcycle dogged more of the oncoming bullets as he maneuvered his way through the cars in front of him "Yeah, but at least I got him to follow me."

Hikaru looked at his target from his post on the bridge overhead as he and his partner moved closer "With him riding your ass like this, I can't get a clean shot."

"I know, just give me a minute, I'll shake him off."

He heard Hikaru laugh over the communicator "Sorry to bust your balls, but you don't have a minute. If I don't take the shot soon he'll escape my line of fire."

The man felt his heart sink as he realized what his partner intended to do "...Hikaru...you can't..."

Hikaru's scratchy laugh filled his ears once again "You have five seconds before I blow this mother fucker away."

"Hikaru!"

"Five."

The man moved around in every direction to shake the target off of his tail.

"Four."

The man continued shooting at the assassin's partner, not letting him escape his sight.

"Three."

"Hikaru! Please, I'm begging you! Give me more time!" His partner desperately pleaded for his life as he heard the count get closer to zero.

"Two."

"Hikaru!"

"One." Hikaru pulled the trigger of his sniper rifle. The bullet ran through his partner's skull, and penetrated the neck of his target. Both cyclists' bikes lost control and crashed into the car nearest them.

Hikaru wore a smug smile on his face "Sorry Masashi, but that's what happens when you don't follow the plan."

Hikaru disassembled the sniper rifle and began to pack it in a chrome briefcase. When the shell was collected, and all traces of his presence were wiped away, he made his way to his next objective.

Hikaru was the Uchiha family's first Phantom. Unlike the Hyuga, the Uchiha family was ruthless, and would kill anyone to get to their goal including their own men.

Hikaru was taken in to the Uchiha family by nothing more than a stroke of good luck.

*Flashback 5 years in the past*

Hikaru walked into the messy living room of the small one bedroom house he and his mother lived in. Clothes and plastic bags were scattered all around the floor and couches. He could hardly bear the ache of hunger that plagued his stomach. He hadn't eaten for three days and needed something to fill the void. Today was the day that his mother got her paycheck, so he had a sliver of hope of getting fed. As soon as these thoughts entered his mind, his mother ran in the house. She threw her bags onto the floor, and ran to the kitchen with a white package.

Hikaru nervously approached the woman. Hikaru's mother was a slim woman with white streaks at the ends of her hair. Her orange eyes were often bloodshot and her nose always had traces of dried blood.

She grabbed a knife and cut the package open. Her hands began to shake as the white powder inside spilled onto the counter. Ever since the death of Hikaru's father, his mother had developed a serious cocaine addiction.

"M...mom."

She glared at Hikaru. Her eyes were filled with dark hatred because Hikaru had the audacity to separate her from her package.

"I'm really hungry..."

She slapped him across the face and Hikaru fell to the floor "Everything's always about you, isn't it!"

Hikaru slowly began to back away from her.

"You're hungry? You're always fucking hungry! If you want food so bad, get a fucking job! I can't always pay for your shit!" she threw the knife at him. Hikaru dogged before it had a chance to cut him.

His mother returned to her powder on the counter. She scooped a small amount in her fingernail, and brought it to her nose. She deeply inhaled every grain of powder from her nail. She began to waver and laugh as she lost her balance. When she collapsed to the floor, she began grip the clothing scattered about. She was completely lost to the effects of the drug.

Hikaru picked up the knife, and hid it in his pocket. He needed food and would do anything he had to get it.

He walked out onto the streets of South Central California. Used needles, as well as their users, covered the cracked pavement. Hikaru needed money, and he knew exactly who to get it from. The town drug dealer, Shisui Uchiha.

Hikaru walked to the last house on his block. The house was covered in graffiti, and the scrawny looking junkies surrounded it begging for money. It was gated off and the only door leading in was locked.

Hikaru began to climb the wall gate of the house. He made sure his landing was quiet and not let his presence be known.

He searched for an entrance, along the side of the house. All he found was an open window in the back. As he went through, he grabbed the knife out of his pocket, and readied himself to get the money, or die trying.

"What do you mean by that?" Hikaru heard someone around the corner.

"I just mean...a little product went missing...that's all." Shisui said.

Hikaru looked around the corner to see what was happening. He saw man with long black hair in a white suit with two armed body guards, standing before Shisui.

"Are you giving away the merchandise I supply you with?"

The man in the white suit looked as if he were ready to kill Shisui as he cowered on the ground.

"No Itachi...it's just..."

Itachi lifted Shisui up by the collar "Just what?"

Shisui was uncontrollably shaking "...A buyer...some woman came in earlier and gave me some money for a kilo...she didn't have enough so I tried to send her away, but she took it..."

The long haired man punched Shisui between the eyes "You have one day to get me the money and that bitch's head, or I'll kill you."

Shisui stayed down as the man left his house.

Hikaru saw this as the perfect opportunity. He crept behind she beaten Uchiha, and readied his knife. When Hikaru was only inches away, he stepped on a floorboard that made a slight creaking noise. He froze, hoping that Shisui wouldn't notice.

He saw Shisui sit up, and look behind him.

Hikaru's heart was about to burst out of his chest. Shisui was never known to let robbers live, especially if they were armed.

"Kid, what the hell are you doing?"

Hikaru didn't answer. Instead, he got into a horse stance and prepared to fight.

Shisui lightly laughed "C'mon, do you really think you can handle me?" Shisui exposed his pistol strapped to his waist.

Hikaru began moving closer. As Shisui pulled the gun out of its holster, Hikaru drove the knife from the back of his hand, into his palm "Shit!" The Uchiha screamed as his gun dropped to the floor.

Hikaru grabbed it before Shisui had a chance to remove the knife from his hand.

When the bloody blade was removed, Shisui looked to the floor where his pistol had dropped "Come here you fucking kid!"

As he stood up, he saw Hikaru with the pistol pointing directly at him."

Shisui backed away "Wait up...don't do some shit that might get you killed..."

Hikaru had never held a gun before. It was heavy in his trembling hands, and he was having trouble aiming. Without thinking, he pulled the trigger. The first bullet shot Shisui in his knee cap "Fuck! I'm gonna fucking kill you! Do you hear me!"

Hikaru shot once more, hitting the drug dealer in the center of his upper bicep. His cries of pain only made Hikaru more nervous. He closed his eyes, and pulled the trigger until the sound the the exploding gun powder stopped. As the symphony of shots ceased, so did the screams of Shisui. He opened his eyes to see what was left. The drug dealer had two shots in the skull, one in his neck, and five in his chest, the rest of the bullets hit the floor.

Hikaru dropped the gun as he stared at the sight of the man he killed. He didn't notice the footsteps rushing in his direction.

As they got closer, one man put a hand on his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. He looked up to see who was there with him. The long haired man in the white suit, as well as his two body guards were looking in astonishment at the body of their dealer.

"Did you do this, Kid?" The man asked.

Hikaru knew there was no point in denying anything, he just nodded his head.

"Do you want me take care of this, sir? One bodyguard asked as he pulled out his gun.

Hikaru shut his eyes, and prepared to receive his punishment for murder.

"No, I don't think that will be necessary."

The man put his weapon back in the holster.

Hikaru looked back up at the man in charge "For your age, you did a hell of a job dealing with that prick."

Hikaru looked at the bloody corpse, and then back at Itachi.

"How would you like to work for me?"

Hikaru shivered as he looked at the man's devilish smile "D…doing what?"

The man in white lightly laughed at the boy's ignorance "Murder of course. That's what you seem to be good at."

The young boy froze. He didn't enjoy murder, but he knew if he had a job, he could afford food and other things he would need "...How much would I get paid?"

Itachi smiled when he heard this "Smart boy, asking about the pay before you take the job."

This comment somewhat embarrassed him.

"The payment varies for every person you kill, and how well you do the job. Either way, the least you'll make is one grand."

Hikaru had never had more than twenty dollars in his lifetime, having one thousand would be unbelievable to him "I'll take the job."

Itachi extended his hand to the young boy "My name is Itachi Uchiha, leader of the Uchiha family."

Hikaru had heard of him. He was the most powerful Uchiha head since Madara Uchiha, the man who started the crime family.

Hikaru shook his hand "I'm Hikaru Shibuya."

*End flashback*

Hikaru felt his cellphone vibrate. He put the briefcase containing the sniper rifle down to answer the call.

"Hello?"

"Did everything go smoothly?" Itachi asked.

Hikaru donned a cocky grin "Of course it did, I'm the best assassin in the Uchiha family, remember?"

Itachi laughed. Hikaru's confidence in himself was always hilariously apparent "So you and Masashi are okay?"

The assassin paused "Well...there was...and accident."

He heard his superior deeply sigh "You killed him, didn't you?"

"Not on purpose."

"Damn it Hikaru, that's the fifth partner you're killed."

Hikaru felt he needed to defend his honor "Hey, killing five isn't that many."

"It is when you've only had five partners."

Hikaru didn't know how to respond to that. It was true, he had killed every partner he was assigned.

"What's your lame excuse this time?" Itachi asked.

"...He was too slow."

Hikaru's justifying reason changed with every partner. He killed the first one because he wouldn't talk to him on missions. He killed the second one because he talked too much on missions. The reason for the third one was because he complained about how Hikaru did his job, and the fourth was because he killed the target before Hikaru could get information out of him.

"Why is it that your girlfriend can do a better job with partners and she's been a phantom level half the time you have?"

"Hey, Sakura's a partner person; I'm better as a solo act."

Itachi sighed "Whatever. I have another mission for you. You're friends with my little brother, so I'd like you to watch over him for a few days."

"Where's he going?"

"New York city. He's going to a concert at Madison Square Garden."

Hikaru smiled "Ooh, you're letting me go without a partner?"

"Absolutely not. I'm sending Sakura with you to keep things in order."

"It's still a win for me."

"Whatever you do Hikaru, don't mess with the Hyuga family." Itachi hung up.

Hikaru didn't mind this mission. He enjoyed handing out with Sasuke because something interesting always seemed to happen whenever he was around. Having Sakura there with him would only sweeten the deal. He picked up his briefcase, and walked to his motorcycle to get to his new assignment.

Sasuke was waiting outside his family's estate. He wore a white short sleeve shirt with a small black Uchiha crest on the top right breast. His shorts were grey camouflage color. He wore a white gold with diamonds encrusted in the band on his left wrist, and a gold chain around his neck.

Hikaru pulled up in front of Sasuke leaving a cloud of smoke behind him "Hello Sasuke, you're really flaunting your money tonight."

Sasuke smiled as Hikaru stepped off of the bike.

"So, you're my babysitter?"

Hikaru nodded "So try to behave yourself, at least a little."

"Shouldn't I be saying that to you?" Sakura walked from behind Sasuke. She wore a pink shirt, blue shorts, and matching blue shoes. Her usual playful smile was spread across her face as she looked at her reckless boyfriend.

"I heard about your partner Masashi."

Hikaru blushed and nervously rubbed the back of his head.

"What? Did he kill him?" Sasuke asked.

"Seriously Hikaru, you need to control yourself. No one wants to work with you cause they're afraid you'll kill them." She said.

He sarcastically nodded "I know, I know. If my partners were better, then I wouldn't need to kill them."

The three laughed at the stupidity of Hikaru's comment.

"You're an idiot, you know that Hikaru?"

Hikaru smiled and stared into her emerald eyes "I know, but I'm your idiot."

The two shared a deep and loving kiss.

"Okay if you two are done, we need to get to the airport."

Sakura and Hikaru broke their kiss, and walked to the limousine.

"Sasuke, why don't you get yourself a girlfriend?"

He laughed. The thought of being in a serious relationship with any girl didn't appeal to him in the slightest "That's not for me. It's hard for me to stay interested in a girl after I get what I want from her."

Sakura sighed and shook her head "You just don't understand women, Sasuke."

"And you're saying Hikaru does?"

Hikaru grabbed his shoulder "Hey! I understand them way better than you!"

The three of them had been close friends ever since Sakura and Hikaru had been in charge of protecting Sasuke. During their downtime, all they did was entertain each other. Hikaru and Sakura became closer as time went on. They understood each other in a way that not even Sasuke could grasp. Sakura was practically abandoned by her prostitute mother, and was forced to survive on her own When she was twelve years of age. She was discovered by Hikaru on one of his missions. Seeing as the girl had nowhere else to go, Hikaru offered she come with him. Itachi liked the spirit that Sakura had, and offered her a job with his family.

Phantoms often develop relationships with other phantoms. This happens mostly because phantoms lack any connection to their past, and the future is determined by how many people they kill. Finding someone who understands this is rare, even in the underworld.

Sasuke on the other hand, had been born into the lap of luxury. Anything he ever wanted, he received. He loved this lifestyle, and by doing this, he fell in love with the family business. Sasuke had never killed anyone, or even held a gun, but he deeply respected the work of his two best friends.

Preview: In New York, the bright shining lights cast dark shadows. The only people who can survive in the shadows, are those who have relinquished their desire to see the break of daylight, and confront any fiend that shows its face.

Next time,

Chapter 4: Inferno

Author's note: Sorry for doing all these flashbacks, I promise this was most likely my last one. Please R&R and get back to me :)

~Happy Murder~

Author's second note: Yeah I needed to revise this cuz this chapter conflicted with chapter 5


	4. Inferno

Chapter 4: Inferno

Class had just ended in Hinata's high school. She attended one of the most prodigious private high schools in New York City. She was not only at the top of her class, but she also was quite popular amongst the boys. Countless numbers of young men from various wealthy families had asked her out, but she denied them all. Hinata wasn't the type to care about social status or wealth. She admired kindness and courage, and Naruto had that in spades.

She packed up her books, and walked out of the classroom. Before she could set her foot out of the door, she was blocked by her loud, obnoxious, but caring friend, Ino Yamanaka. Ino was dressed in her usual short purple and white sleeveless shirt which reviled her flat stomach, and a matching short skirt. Ino had a reputation for being promiscuous, and her outfits reflected her nature.

"Hey Hinata, you're still coming with us to that concert with us tomorrow, right?" She asked.

Hinata nodded "Of course I am."

"Good, cause I got really close seats. Also, the person who was gonna come with me bailed, you know anyone who wants to see Bullet for my Valentine preform?"

Hinata could only think of one person in particular. He face lit up as Ino handed her the extra ticket.

"Thank you so much, Ino"

Ino started to walk in the opposite direction "Don't worry about it. Remember; meet us in front of Madison Square Garden at seven pm."

Naruto sat next to The head of the Hyuga family as a well-dressed man sat before them. Hiashi wasn't sure of what this man was sent here to do, but the situation didn't feel right to him.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Allan Banks. I represent Inferno."

Hiashi did not speak. He had heard rumors about an organization that went by that name. The rumors were that Inferno would do absolutely anything to get what they wanted, even at the expense of their own men.

"Why have you come here?" He firmly asked.

Allen straightened his necktie "Your family controls a majority of the east coast. We would like to share that control, you'd benefit from this as well of course."

Hiashi stood up, and walked over to look out at the city through the window "No deal."

"But Mr. Hyuga, this transaction will..."

"This transaction will eventually fuck me over! It took me years to establish the powerful control that I have; I can't just give it away to some shady dealer!"

Naruto carefully watched the man. His orders were to kill him if he made any suspicious move.

Allen stood up, and walked toward the door "I'll give you some time to think about this, you'll be hearing from us again."

Hiashi knew he would hear from them again. He had lost his temper, and possibly put his whole family in danger of being killed.

"Lord Hiashi," Naruto said "Are you gonna be alright."

The pale eyed man turned and faced his murder tool "Phantom, Hinata is going out to a concert with a few friends tomorrow. I want you to watch over her."

Naruto nodded "But sir, what about you?"

"I'll have Neji as well as my other guards to protect me."

Naruto wondered what this group Inferno would do. If Hiashi was worried enough to make a phantom accompany her to just a concert, they must have possessed power that even Hiashi thought the Hyuga family couldn't handle.

As Allen was shown out of the estate, a black limousine was waiting for him in the driveway. The chauffeur opened the door for him, and he walked in.

"How did the negations go?" A man holding a glass of champagne asked. He wore a burgundy suit, and had long grayish blue hair.

"As expected, he rejected out offer."

The man laughed "He's too predictable. Looks like we'll need to use the backup plan."

He turned to face a girl who sat next to him. This young woman wore a tight red biker suit and had long blonde hair. She was looking out the tinted window of the car with a disgruntled look on her face "Let me guess, I'm the backup plan."

The man smiled as he sipped his champagne "I only want you to follow his daughter, and make a powerful statement."

"Mr. McGuire," Allen interrupted "If she kills Mr. Hyuga's daughter, we'd lose him completely."

McGuire smirked "I'm not having her kill the girl, but she will need to be shot at least once."

The blonde girl smiled "Sounds fun, I'd love to do it."

Hinata was escorted into the front door. Naruto, as usual, was waiting for her right at the top of the steps.

"Hello Ms. Hyuga, you look well today?"

"Thank you..." She tried not to make eye contact with him. She didn't want to arouse any suspicion of their relationship, so it forced her to act rather cold towards Naruto in the presence of her family.

"Ms. Hyuga, will you be needing an escort to your room?" One of the butlers asked.

She shook her head "No, I'll be fine with just my bodyguard."

Naruto followed her up the red carpeted stairs. He remembered to keep at least a two foot berth between himself and Hinata. He had to remain be at an angle where Hinata couldn't see him I'm full view, while staying in a position where she could see him from her peripheral vision.

They approached her bedroom, and Naruto opened the door for her. After she walked in, he was careful to check for anyone who might see him go in with her. After he checked all directions, he went inside.

Once the door was closed, Hinata wrapped her arms around the blonde assassin, almost making him almost lose his balance.

She was obviously excited about something; Naruto only wished he was able to share that excitement "Hinata..."

"Hey Naruto," She released him from her embrace "I'm going to a concert tomorrow and I have an extra ticket." she put the ticket in his palm "Please, will you come?"

Naruto looked at the innocent and tender smile on her face. He could never deny Hinata even if he wanted to "Of course I will." Her smile was almost enough to put his uneasiness to rest, but he knew he would eventually have to tell her.

"Hinata..." The distress on Naruto's face was painfully apparent. She had never seen him look so worried before, this made her feel uneasy.

"Today, some man met with your father...he wanted to make some sort of business deal with him. Your father turned him down...but...now he thinks someone might try to hurt you to make him bend..."

Hinata's heart raced. Her life had never been threatened before. She tried to keep her fear from showing, Naruto had enough problems, and her fear didn't have to be one of them.

Her eyes returned to Naruto. She feigned a comforting smile, and held his hand "Naruto, don't worry."

"But..."

"You'll be with me, I'm sure I'll be safe."

Naruto was amazed by her strength. Though her life had just been threatened, she showed no fear.

The two heard a knock on the door "Hinata, can I come in?"

Not bothering to wait for an answer, Hanabi walked into the room. Hanabi was one year younger than Hinata, but acted as if she were the one in charge. Though Hinata by birthright was the heiress to the Hyuga family, Hanabi currently possessed more power in the family than Hinata did. Hiashi loved both his daughters dearly, but he favored Hanabi because of her love for the wellbeing of the yakuza family as a whole. Hinata in the other hand was one who preferred to stay out of any affairs that had to do with the family business.

"Um...Hanabi I didn't say come in..." Hinata mumbled. She was somewhat intimidated by her younger sister.

"Hey Naruto, you wouldn't mind if I borrowed my sister for a second would you?"

"Um..." Before he could answer, Hanabi pull Hinata out of her room by the arm.

Hinata tried to regain possession of her arm as her rough sister pulled her down the hallway.

"Hanabi...where are you taking me?"

She smiled "Just wanted to have a sister to sister chat."

She brought her onto the balcony that faced their large back yard.

Hinata took a moment to catch her breath as her sister released her "So...what did...you want to talk about." she said between breaths.

"I wanted to talk about the future."

Hinata was confused "What do you mean?"

Hanabi sighed. She wasn't the type of person who enjoyed explaining things in depth "Like when you're the head of this family, what do you plan do with it?"

Hinata didn't know how to answer. She never wanted to think about her father dying, and she wanted to think about inheriting a crime family even less.

"Dad distributes control of certain branches of business to his family as you know. I'm in charge of managing the drugs distribution, Neji trains our assassins, and you were offered the job of managing the prostitutes, but you turned that down."

Hinata was offered that job because it required very little involvement, but she couldn't stand the idea of managing something so dirty.

"Hanabi...are you asking me if I'm gonna take away your role in the business."

Hanabi didn't answer.

"I don't know...I was thinking of letting Neji lead the family...I'm just not cut out for this life..."

Hanabi rolled her eyes "You're an idiot. This life is amazing." she began to smile as she thought of the life she had in the crime family "Other people live boring normal lives, but here, we're able to be around all sorts of gangsters and assassins."

"You say that like it's a good thing." Hinata said.

"Has it ever occurred to you that if it wasn't for this lifestyle, you would have never met Naruto?"

Hinata blushed. She had no idea that Hanabi knew about them being together.

"This lifestyle that you hate, has given you a beautiful house to live in, a great school to go to, and a ridiculous inheritance from father."

"The only reason I'm in the school I'm in, is because father didn't have any use for me."

Hanabi knew this was true. She was home schooled because of her business duties, while Hinata had no place in the family. She was the heiress without use.

"All I'm saying is, this family has given you so much, yet you refuse to give anything back to it."

Hanabi walked off the balcony leaving her sister to think about what she had said.

Hinata and Hanabi were as different as the moon and sun. The only thing that made Hinata thankful for this lifestyle that her family led, was that through it she met Naruto. Though she was grateful for that, because of her family business, Naruto's life was constantly put in danger, and now her life as well. If she was killed, her father probably wouldn't care. Hanabi would the new heiress, and the future leader would actually be competent. In her mind, her death would be the best thing for her family.

The next day in the late afternoon, Sasuke and his two bodyguards were walking the streets of New York City. A crowd gathered in the streets around Madison Square Garden.

Fan girls screamed the name of the band, hoping that they would hear them from down the street.

"Fan girls are so fucking annoying!" Hikaru screamed. He wasn't used to being surrounded by so many people at one time. He felt extremely apprehensive that something would go wrong.

Sakura put her hand on his shoulder "Calm down Hikaru." She smiled "Everything will be alright."

Just as she said that, the crowd began to move, allowing the band's tour bus to pass. There was mass confusion as the girls went to touch the band's bus. People were shoved into each other, and fights broke out. When Sasuke looked around, he had been separated from Hikaru and Sakura.

Though Sasuke was usually one to keep his cool, being alone in a crowd of rioting fanatics in a state that his family didn't control, made him feel uncomfortable. He looked in every direction, but his two guards were out of his sight. He started to fear that he would be robbed by one of the misfits in the crowd.

As soon as the thought entered his mind, felt someone bump into him from behind. He quickly turned around before the possible thief had a chance to take his money.

The person who bumped into him stood up from the ground where she fell. She brushed herself off and faced the man she was pushed into "I'm really sorry...are you okay?" The shy pale eyed girl asked.

Sasuke was relieved to see that he was in no danger "Yeah, I'm fine. Being here reminds me why I stopped going to concerts."

Hinata giggled "Yeah." When Hinata looked forward up the street, she saw a girl with long blonde hair wearing a white mask. The girl made no movements towards her, all she did was stare. Hinata tried looking away, but when she looked back, the girl still stared at her.

The crowd of people started to move into the square, and the streets became less condensed.

Sasuke spotted Hikaru and Sakura, and Naruto found his way to Hinata.

The two groups shared more in common with each other than they would ever know from just looking at each other. When she looked again, the masked girl was gone.

"Hinata! Come on, we need to get to our seats!" Hinata's attention was brought to her loud loquacious friend, Ino.

"Looks like we have to go. It was nice meeting you." she smiled as she turned away.

Naruto as well as Sakura wore strange looks on their face.

'Why do those three look so familiar...' Naruto kept asking himself. The question bothered him. He knew there was something important to remember about those faces, but he couldn't think of what that important thing was.

"Guys..." Sakura whispered "That girl is..."

"Yeah I guess she's sort of cute, but not someone that Sasuke would bag." Hikaru interrupted.

"No, I mean she's..."

"You're right Hikaru; a shy girl like her isn't worth my time." Sasuke's cocky smile overtook his face as it often did.

Sakura slapped both of them across the face "What the hell is wrong with you guys?"

The two groups of people went inside the square to take their seats.

Ino had gotten tickets to be in the front row. The stage was literally in an arm's reach. The group was amazed that Ino could pull off something as hard as getting tickets as good as the ones they had.

Ino, Kiba, and Choji couldn't help but notice the person who stood beside Hinata.

Ino, being the type of girl she was, walked up to Hinata with a sly grin "Hey Hinata, who's your friend?" She looked at his spiky blonde hair, then his black and orange jacket "He's kind of cute."

Ino's comment made her feel uncomfortable. She was worried that Naruto would see Ino in the same was and leave her. She was almost on the verge of tears at the very thought. Naruto wrapped his arm around Hinata's slender waist "My name is Naruto Uzumaki, Hinata's boyfriend." He proudly proclaimed.

Hinata looked to her lover's face. He was unwavering, and wasn't ashamed to be with her. Hinata immediately felt silly for thinking he would leave her for something Ino said to every guy she met.

"Aww, that's so cute."

"Ino, why do you always need to start trouble?" a familiar voice said.

Hinata and Naruto recognized this emotionless voice as well.

"Sasuke!" Ino embraced the Uchiha heir tightly in her arms.

"You actually made it!"

He pushed her off "Of course I did, you wouldn't stop bugging me about it."

Choji and Kiba laughed "Yeah, Ino's pretty good at doing that."

She glared at the scruffy looking boy who said that.

Kiba immediately pushed Choji in front as a shield to Ino's wrath.

Naruto and Hinata were more than surprised to see the dark haired boy again.

"Hey guys" Ino turned to Naruto and Hinata "This is my friend Sasuke Uchiha, he's from California."

Naruto remembered what he wasn't able to about the boy. The average looking boy was really the second in line to run the Uchiha family, and the two that accompanied him were his infamous Phantoms.

"We've met before." Sasuke said.

As the lights were dimmed, Naruto kept close watch on the heir from the other family.

The band started with the song Your Betrayal. The heavy beat drowned out every other sound.

As the band started to add the guitars into the sound, the masked female with long blonde hair, and a black body suit walked onto the stage.

The band looked confused as she just stood there, watching the crowd.

The girl then looked into the front row, and her eyes fixed onto Hinata.

Hinata was beyond nervous. Every time she looked at the white mask of the girl, she thought of what Naruto had warned her about.

Hikaru, Sakura, and Naruto kept close watch on the girl. They had their hands on the grips of their guns.

The masked women then pulled out a Mac 10 and fired into the crowd.

There was mass confusion as everyone ran to the nearest exit. She continued her spray of bullets in the crowd. Naruto stood in front of Hinata.

"Come on, we need to run!" Ino Screamed.

The masked woman then spotted her. As she was about to pull the trigger, Naruto pulled out his Desert Eagle and shot at the woman.

Ino stared in awe at Naruto holding his handgun.

'What the hell has Hinata gotten herself into.' She thought.

Hikaru joined Naruto in firing at the woman on the stage.

She ran to the near end of the stage, and fired in the direction of Naruto. He thought that he would surely be hit, but he looked at his body, and not one of the bullets hit him.

"Oh my god! Hinata!" Ino screamed.

Naruto heart sunk as he turned to see what had happened.

Hinata was on the floor, bleeding heavily from the three bullet holes in her stomach.

Tears streamed from the corners of her pale eyes as she was gasping for breath as blood spilled out of her mouth.

"Hinata!" Naruto held her in his arms.

She was trying to mouth something to Naruto, but her body was in shock.

"The assassin is getting away!" Sasuke pointed out. "Leave her there; me and Sakura will take her to the hospital."

"But..."

"But nothing!"

The blonde boy didn't want to leave Hinata in the hands of someone from an enemy family.

"If you really care about this girl, kill the person who hurt her!"

He hated to admit it, but Sasuke was right.

Naruto helped walk Hinata over to Sasuke and Sakura. She was extremely weak from the blood loss, and needed urgent medical attention.

"Hikaru, go with him."

Hikaru nodded. He and Naruto headed in the direction of the homicidal woman. She was close to the exit of the auditorium. Hikaru and Naruto opened fire at her once more. She was able to avoid every bulled shot.

Naruto shot the last bullet he had in his magazine. She moved to doge, but the bullet grazed her mask.

As it shattered and fell to the floor, Hikaru and Naruto were able to see the cocky smile on the face of the young assassin.

She changed the magazine of her Mac 10, and shot at the two Phantoms. Naruto was out of buets, and Hikaru was down to his last five.

All Naruto could do was watch as the woman who had assaulted the one person he cared for most in the world, ran away.

Hikaru lowered his gun after he shot the last bullet.

They both wanted to chase after her, but they knew that if they did they would be killed.

Hikaru threw his gun to the floor "Shit!" he screamed. This was the first time that a target had ever gotten away from him, and that hurt his pride greatly.

Naruto's mind was completely unfocused on Hikaru's conniption fit, he was too worried about Hinata to even notice.

Naruto and Hikaru waited outside of Hinata's hospital room in the empty waiting area. Sasuke used his charming influence as well as his money to get Hinata a private room to rest in.

Naruto wanted to go in to see her, but he was told by her operating team that she needed rest. She had lost more than a pint of blood on the way to the hospital.

Ino walked toward Naruto and Hikaru alongside Sasuke and Sakura. Her long blonde hair swayed as she walked. Naruto noticed she looked less than pleased, but given the situation, looking pleased would he quite strange.

She walked in front of Naruto. Her eyes were filled with quiet intensity "I don't know you." She said "But I know you're mixed up in some illegal business like Sasuke." Sasuke rolled his eyes

"I swear, if you get Hinata hurt one more time, I'll kill you."

Naruto said nothing in return. He understood her feelings, and if his theory was correct, that action would be passed as soon as he was called upon by Hiashi.

Sasuke sat beside Naruto "Don't worry, she may seem scary, but she's pretty nice once you get to know her."

Naruto didn't respond.

"Did you kill the girl who shot at us?"

Hikaru shook his head "The bitch ran off after she reloaded. Me and him ran out of bullets so we couldn't do anything else."

Sasuke saw Naruto was upset by this. He knew Hikaru was only upset because his perfect kill streak no longer existed, but Naruto was upset for a more reasonable reason. Someone he cared about got hurt and he, her protector, failed to keep her safe.

"You've gotta know it's not your fault. That girl was just really good."

Those words didn't comfort Naruto at all.

Three men suited men walked into the waiting area where Naruto sat.

Naruto closed his eyes as he recognized one of the men to be Hiashi Hyuga. As he heard the mob boss walked toward to him, Naruto expected his life to be taken right there. Not even talking to him, Hiashi walked into his daughter's hospital room.

"Who was that guy?" Hikaru asked.

"That's Hiashi Hyuga, the head of the Hyuga family." Sakura said. "I tried to tell you earlier, that's his oldest daughter."

Hiashi stepped out of her room "Phantom, come."

Naruto stood, and walked with Hiashi.

He was led into his limousine and the door was shut behind him.

He and Hiashi were the only ones in the car, and his cold gaze focused on Naruto.

"Naruto. You are my daughter's protector, are you not?" Naruto nodded as his body trembled.

"Yet you allowed her to get hurt after I specifically warned you that she might be in danger of attack?"

His heart pounded. Nothing he could think to say was good enough "L...lord Hyuga...I..."

"I allowed you to carry on this relationship with my daughter because I was under the impression that she would be well protected."

"You knew?"

"Of course I knew." he sternly stated "I know how you always sneak off to Hinata's room doing god knows what."

Naruto became even surer that Hiashi would have him killed.

"I let it continue because you've helped this family out greatly from the moment I took you in." He sighed "I don't care what you do with my daughter as long as you protect her..." Naruto looked into Hiashi's eyes. Their usual intensity was not there; his eyes almost possessed a soft worried feel to them. "She's my first born...I can't allow her to be taken from me..."

Naruto had never seen Hiashi like this before. Hiashi almost seemed like a kindhearted human.

"I won't have you killed." He said "But, if anything like this happens again, I will murder you with my own hands."

Hiashi was now his normal self again.

"Get out of my car. You are to stay by Hinata's side until she is able to come home. Is that understood?"

Naruto nodded as he stepped out of his boss's car.

Author's note: To answer questions, Sasuke and Ino are ex FWB and currently close friends. She knows all about Sasuke and Hinata's relation to the underbelly of society, and is still comfortable with being around them. Kiba and Choji don't know about it.

Ino will play a role in this story but you won't see much of Kiba or Choji.

But back to business: Hinata got shot! And Naruto couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. What will happen? Will there be an epic showdown between the Phantoms of the Hyuga and the Phantom of Inferno? And will the Phantoms of the Uchiha help the other crime family? Find out next time on The Good Life

Chapter 5: Deal

~Happy Murder~

P.S. I know I promised Ein x Zwei...but...I can't think of how to fit it in the story...I'm sorry.

Jk xD it's gonna be in the story


	5. Deal

Chapter 5: Deal

The morning light broke through the white translucent curtains in Hinata's hospital room. She began to slowly open her eyes and straighten herself in her bed. She was not yet fully awake and still very delirious from the pain medications. The whole night seemed only like a dream and nothing more.

She stretched her arms, and was quickly brought back to reality. The sharp pain in her stomach assured her that all the events of the night before were without any doubt, real.

The realization only arose more questions. Who had shot her? Why would she be targeted for assassination? ...and where was Naruto?

The entire room was void of life besides the birds that nested themselves in the tree beside her window.

As her mind set on the skilled assassin that had attacked her, she realized that there was a strong chance that Naruto had been one of her many victims that night.

The vision of Naruto's neck being penetrated by the continuous spray of bullets from the masked woman played in her mind's eye.

She held the white bed sheets in her clenched fists as the horrid bloodstained images of Naruto's freshly sleigh corpse played through her mind.

She was completely oblivious to her all visions and noises around her, and hardly even noticed her door open. The slow footsteps of the intruder were all but audible to the entranced Hyuga girl.

The intruder came close to the bedside. Hinata's attention was brought back when she felt a pair of arms draped around her shoulders.

Startled, she quickly tried to tear the arms from around her. She violently jerked, but the intruder's grip just became tighter.

"Hinata! Calm down! You're gonna reopen your wounds!"

Hinata recognized the high pitched voiced. She felt a slight sense of relief. A familiar voice was what she had truly longed to hear in this, her time of venerability.

"Ino, she just was attacked, so what the hell would make you think it would be okay to sneak up on her?"

Sasuke stood with his back leaned against door.

Ino took her arms from around her friend.

"I guess you're right..." she scratched the back of her head as she awkwardly laughed "I guess I should have thought that one through...but..."

She put one hand on Hinata's cheek as she stared into her crystal like white eyes. She lustfully smiled as she brought her face in closer.

"I couldn't help myself, just look at her."

Hinata heavily blushed as Ino lips came closer to hers. She knew Ino was the type to do strange things, but this caught her completely off guard. Hinata tightly shut her eyes as Ino's lips were only mere centimeters away from her own.

Ino, not being able to hold her composure any longer, began to historically laugh.

Hinata slightly cracked her eyes open and saw Ino was nowhere near her face.

"You really thought I was gonna kiss you, didn't you?"

Ino loved toying with Hinata because she thought it was adorable to see her face flushed while she tried to create a barrier with her arms in front of her chest.

Sasuke sighed deeply and walked over to try to rein Ino in "Come on Ino, I think she's had enough excitement for one day." he said as he tugged in her arm. Trying to pull Ino away from something that interested her was like trying to move a brick wall with bare hands. This fact was as figurative as it was literal, Sasuke couldn't move her an inch away from the wounded girl.

"Damn it Ino, come on!" He grunted as he tugged on the seductress's arm.

Ino ignored Sasuke, as she usually did when he tried to interfere with her interests.

Hinata found the back and forth between Ino and Sasuke to be very amusing. She was almost able to forget about everything that was bothering her, but as the worries began to leave her head, the only came back stronger.

"...where's Naruto?" She timidly asked.

Sasuke stopped pulling on Ino's arm when he saw the look of genuine concern in Hinata's eyes.

Ino gritted her teeth as the name of the blonde haired boy rang in her ears. In her mind, he was the reason why Hinata got hurt. She was in no way planning on forgiving him for what happened to her.

Sasuke knew Ino wouldn't answer her any time soon "He's sitting outside with Hikaru and Sakura." He said.

Hinata was beyond thankful that he was safe. Though it was Naruto's job to protect Hinata, she would gladly give her life to save his. She couldn't imagine living life without him by her side.

"W...why hasn't he come in?"

Sasuke honestly didn't know how to answer this question "He...he's really upset about what happened to you. He thinks you don't want to see him because he wasn't able to protect you."

The room was silent.

Ino felt she could hold her tongue no longer "He should feel like that!"

Hinata was in utter shock. She had never heard seen Ino this angry before.

"Don't look at me like that." She said "You can't help that you're related to a mobster, but why would you willingly put yourself in danger by dating one!"

Sasuke put his hand on top of hers "Ino, stop."

She brushed him off "No Sasuke, she needs to hear this!"

"But..."

"Thank you..." The heiress interrupted "Really...thank you for your concern, but...nothing you say is going to change my mind..."

Those were the last words Ino wanted to hear from her "...Hinata..."

"Please send him in."

Both Sasuke and Ino could tell that Hinata had enough of Ino's ranting.

The tall Blonde was thoroughly disgusted by Hinata's strong attraction to the unsavory boy. The disgust she felt was not out of hatred, it was out of disappointment. Ino could empathize with Hinata about being so in love with someone so dangerous. Sasuke was no killer, but the danger of being around him always excited her, both mentally and physically. She remembered her summers in the west coast where she and Sasuke would go to many Uchiha run clubs late at night. They had everything they could have asked for, entertainment, alcohol, but most of all, each other. She would have gladly stayed with him, but the constant threat of some family out for revenge, or some punk trying to make a name for himself, worried her.

Naruto didn't seem like a bad person to her, just a dangerous one. The last thing Ino wanted was to lose someone who had always been there for her.

Ino with Sasuke behind her walked out to the waiting room to comply with her friend's request.

She saw Sakura resting her head on Hikaru's shoulder as the two were fast asleep. Next to them, was Naruto. He was sitting motionless, just watching the clock that was placed on the wall. His eyes were bloodshot, and his eyelids looked heavy. He had obviously been up the entire night.

Ino slowly approached the young assassin.

Naruto's eyes darted in the direction of the oncoming footsteps.

"...Is she okay." He sluggishly asked.

Ino just nodded and folded her arms. He obviously cared for the girl greatly.

The boy weakly smiled "That's good..."

She tried to keep a tough composure, but Naruto's face began to make her heart wrench "She wants to see you."

To her surprise, Naruto looked pained when she said this. She had expected him to jump the minute she told him, but instead he looked worse than when she originally saw him.

"Didn't you hear me?" she sternly asked.

He closed his eyes as he reflected on what had happened to her. He hardly even nodded his head to acknowledge the girl in front of him.

"A...are you sure she wants to see me?"

Unable to control herself, she grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him out of his seat.

"Just go in there."

Reluctantly, he began to make his way to the room. He could only imagine what Hinata had to say to him, but he felt he deserved every last word of criticism.

He felt a hand from behind grab onto his shoulder, but refused to turn to face the person.

"She...doesn't blame you...I just thought you should know that."

Though it went against everything she felt, she couldn't stand to see Naruto this hurt. Hinata would never forgive her if she let that happen.

Naruto walked into the sun bleached room. He was welcomed by a warm, but weak smile from Hinata.

He quickly averted his eyes the moment they made contact with hers. He sat by her bedside with his head hung in shame.

The smile that always greeted her whenever he was in her presence was gone. Hinata could hear Naruto's pain and remorse even through his slight breaths.

"Naruto..." she spoke with a half whisper as she motioned for him to come closer to her.

The moment he was in range, Hinata wrapped her arms around his back.

"Naruto...when I didn't see you when I woke up...I thought..." she choked back her tears as hard as she possibly could.

Naruto closed shut his eyes, and returned her embrace "Hinata..."

"I don't care what happens to me...a life without your smile, your touch, and your kiss, isn't worth living."

The two stayed silent, grasping onto each other as if they would fade away if they were to ever release.

"Naruto...I think I should rest now..."

He could see she was struggling to keep her eyes open. He had forgotten how cute she looked when she was fighting sleep; the warm smile finally appeared on his face.

As he was about to pull away from her bedside, he felt her hand grip his "Please...will you...stay until I fall asleep?"

Naruto didn't respond "...It would...make me feel at ease...so please?..."

He gripped her hand as she had done to his "You know you don't need to ask."

Secure with her fingers entwined with his, she put all thoughts of her assailant, her wounds, and her family, out of her mind.

Forty-five minutes later, Naruto walked into the waiting area outside of the room. Hikaru was sitting alone with a less then pleased look.

"Hey, where's everyone else?" Naruto asked to break the silence.

Hikaru crossed his arms "They all went back to Ino's house."

"Why didn't you go with them aren't you one of Sasuke's body guards?"

Naruto could tell from Hikaru's dark gaze that he had chosen the wrong question to ask.

"I couldn't go with them." he said with quiet intensity "Ino ordered Sasuke to make me stay and look after that Hyuga girl."

The blonde assassin couldn't help but feel a little guilty for his staying.

"...I'm sorry."

Hikaru slumped back in his seat and sighed "It's not your fault. Ino is just...a lot to deal with."

Naruto laughed as he nodded in agreement "Hey I have a question."

"You can ask." Hikaru said as he straightened his posture "I might not answer it, but you can ask."

Hikaru's playful arrogance amused Naruto In a strange way. To most, this was a trait that people most hated about him.

"You seem to be pretty close to your partner, how do you do it?"

From his facial contortion, Hikaru was obviously confused by the question.

Naruto thought of a way to clarify what he had said "I mean...my partner and I get along, but I'm not exactly friends with him."

"I think I get what you're saying." he answered "The truth is, we get along well because she's my girlfriend."

Hikaru didn't seem the type to have romantic feeling due to the tough front he carried.

"I know what you probably think it's crazy, but the crazier story is how we met." a grim smile came about his face.

"...How did you two meet?" Naruto was almost afraid to ask.

"It was during a job I was doing. This guy, Asuma Sarutobi, a brothel keeper, owed Boss Uchiha some major money. Now boss isn't the type to forgive people who are in debt to him."

Hikaru lightly chuckled "He has them killed."

Naruto could tell that Hikaru enjoyed his job very much, probably more than most would. "But wait, what does this have to do with Sakura?"

"Her mother was a prostitute that worked at the brothel."

*flashback 4 years in the past*

The night sky was lit with the streaks of lightning that shot across the clouds. Back against the wall, Hikaru stood on the side of the rundown brothel. With each drop of rain that touched the ground, the young assassin grew more apprehensive. Each piece of litter looked like a possible threat to him. He hardly could get a firm grip on his pistol.

'Calm down...you've killed before; you can do it again...' He tried to reassure himself.

No matter what he thought, this job was more important than any of his others. If he was able to survive this, he would be the Phantom of the Uchiha family. The fear of failing of Itachi was almost dwarfed the fear of his most certain death at the hands of the heavily armed.

Hikaru was caught at a Cross roads. Each path lead to possible death, so he closed his eyes and walked onward, hoping for the best.

The two story building had no openings beside the front door. There was no back entrance or windows to make a stealthy intrusion. This would make a full-fledged gunfight unavoidable.

Before he turned the corner, he noticed someone fast approaching. It was a young girl who looked to be around his age. She had long pink hair wrapped in a red ribbon. Her cloths were worn and tattered. A rip on her left pant leg had a sloppy stitch job done. The color of her shoes was a faded grey and had many tears in the material.

She stopped in front of the large door with the brass handle with a look of urgency. She quickly pushed it open and made her way in.

With everyone's focus on her, Hikaru saw this as his chance to make an unnoticed entrance.

On the inside, strobe lights flew as a dark blue light set the mood. The music played seductive music as everyone moved to the rhythm. Every man had at least one woman dressed in skimpy clothing pressed against his body. He couldn't help but laugh at the men there. All lacked the ability to attract a woman and now needed to pay to get it in.

In the back, he saw a rickety staircase. At the top, waited his mission's objective. Knowing he had no time to waste, he silently walked up.

The sound of the music began to fade as he got to the top. Every door in sight was closed; loud moaning came from through the doors.

'...looks like business is good...' Hikaru cringed as he thought of some guy actually willing to go inside one of those women.

His mind was brought back to his mission as he heard loud screaming coming from the end of the hallway. The final room was the only one with an open door. He peeked inside to see what exactly was happening. He saw a woman smoking a cigarette wearing nothing more than tight bra, and short shorts, the young girl he had seen earlier, and his target sitting behind a desk.

"But mom, if we don't give the landlord the $10,000 by tonight, we won't have any place to live..."

The skimpily dressed woman seemed to pay the girl no mind "All you ever do is fucking whine."

The girl's desperate attempt to sway her mother clearly was ineffective.

"Don't I give you enough already?" she said as she flicked the ash in the direction of her daughter, barely missing her face.

The girl balled her fists and put her arms up, covering her chest "No...every last bit of money you get you spend on yourself..."

Her words were strong, but lacked any courage.

The woman glared at her daughter who was stiffened by her intense gaze.

"Leave the poor girl alone." Asuma interrupted.

Sakura felt an intense wave of relief wash over her as her mother averted her gaze and focused on her boss.

Asuma stood from behind his large desk. His white and red suit reflected the bright lights of his office. He walked over to the young girl and gently laid his hand on her shoulder.

"I have the money that you need, sweetie."

The girl's face lit up "Thank you so much Mr. Sarutobi."

This seemed extremely out of character for the shady business owner. Hikaru had never known the man to be so generous unless there was something in it for himself, but what could he have to gain by aiding the daughter of his employee?

"Now wait a minute, I can't just give you the money."

The smile quickly disappeared from her face "But you said..."

"I said I have the money you need, but this is a business. You need to work for it if you want it."

'That shady bastard.' The young assassin was almost tempted to pull the trigger on him right then and there.

"But...how am I supposed to earn $10,000 by tonight..."

A devilish smirk appeared on the brothel keeper. A smile so sinister that Satan himself would cower in fear.

"You should know by now." he darkly stated "Your mother does it for a living."

Sakura's body began to tremble as she saw the lustful eyes of man who was about to violate her.

"Please...is there any other way..."

Asuma grabbed a handful of her pink hair and pushed her to the ground "You know as well as I do that there's no other way. Now do you want the fucking money or not!"

Sakura knew there was no escaping this situation. The man greatly overpowered, and it's not as if her mother would step to her rescue. She shut her eyes as the tears leaked out. If she screamed, no one would help, all she could do was remain silent, and wait until it was over.

As she felt her belt being loosened, she cringed at his touch. He began to pull down the pants from her waist, waiting on baited breath to claim his prize.

She felt his breath on the back of her neck. The thought of him deflowering her played through her mind.

"Please...don't do this..." She desperately cried.

The man just grabbed the band of her underwear "Sorry Sweetie, but that's how money is..."

His cruel words were followed by a gunshot, and the screaming of Sakura's mother.

As she felt his grip loosen, she opened her eyes to see the fresh corpse beside her. Asuma had been shot in the neck. She looked up to see who had rescued her from the horrible fate.

"Are you okay?" He asked her as she stared in awe at him.

"Y...yes..."

"You little shit! You're Uchiha's guy!" The mother screamed.

She lunged to attack the assassin, but her movements were sloppy. Every punch she threw was too slow to hit a trained killer.

Hikaru beat the top of the prostitute's head with the bottom of his gun.

The woman dropped to the floor motionless. She wasn't dead, just unconscious.

Hikaru pointed the pistol at the woman. Before he pulled the trigger, he looked at the girl, still in the same spot Asuma had pinned her.

"Are...are you gonna kill her?" The girl innocently asked.

"Asuma was my only assigned target, so I don't need to." He honestly answered.

"May I?"

The girl put her hand out "May I please do it."

"You actually think you have the guts to kill your own mother?"

The girl's eyes filled with rage as she looked at the woman lying helpless on the floor "That bitch has caused me nothing but pain throughout my entire life. I'd happily kill her."

Without any question, Hikaru handed the gun to the girl.

*End Flashback*

Naruto was at a loss for words. He knew from experience that life growing up was hard, but murdering the person that gave birth to you was something he didn't even think he could do.

Hikaru lightly chuckled "Sakura emptied the entire mag into her."

The blond assassin knew that he should manage to stay on the girl's good side from that day on.

"I took her back with me to boss Uchiha, and that's how we met and became partners." He smiled

"I never knew her past was that messed up..."

"Please, her past and my past combine don't compare to the things you went through." Hikaru bluntly stated.

Naruto looked in awe at the Phantom.

"What? You thought I didn't know? Believe it or not you're one of the most talked about Phantoms in the entire underworld."

Naruto wasn't sure how to take this information. The fact that he was well known meant people feared him, but it also made him a great target. He never took life unnecessarily. He never savored hunting someone down like Hikaru. The only reason he killed, was to be of use to Hiashi. If he proved himself useful, he would be able to stay by Hinata's side.

A familiar face sat before Hiashi Hyuga in his main hall. Allan Banks, the man who worked for the organization that had his daughter shot, sat with a smug grin on his face.

"Nice to see you again, Lord Hyuga. How are you this fine evening?"

Hiashi banged his hand on the table that crated a berth between them "Cut the fucking small talk! You had my daughter shot! Didn't you!" Hiashi Hyuga was never one to lose his temper. This outburst was surprising to say the least.

"Things tend to happen when you refuse great opportunities."

The mob boss had every intention to murder the man that sat before him with his bare hands.

"We actually do have you, and your family's best interest at heart. All you need to do is agree to our terms..."

"You have my daughter hospitalized, and then have the nerve to ask me to join you!"

"Mr. Hyuga..."

Hiashi stood from his chair "My family had spent generations establishing the control we've established, and you have the nerve to come and ask for a share of that after what you've done?"

Allan remained silent.

"I swear to god, I will murder every last one of you Inferno bastards if you ever set foot on my territory again!"

The representative turned his head away, as not to meet his gaze "This is the last offer we will give you, so think carefully before you make your decision."

Hiashi pulled the man up by his suit collar, and punched him with all his might. Allen fell back into his seat, his face covered in blood that spilled from his nose.

"Now get the fuck out of my house."

Hiashi had two of his bodyguard's puck up the bruised and beaten man.

"You'll regret this...Inferno won't stop until we get what we want!"

Three weeks have passed since the meeting with the Inferno representative. Hinata had been released from the hospital and things in the streets of New York have been calm with nothing out of the ordinary happening. Sasuke and his Phantoms returned to California, and Hinata's life had returned to normal.

Ino was as talkative as ever, but strangely not as flirtatious. Ever since Sasuke had departed, he was the only boy she seemed to talk about with anyone, whether it be good or bad things.

Hinata was able to get back to reality quite quickly. Her regular humdrum activities were a very pleasant break from the gang life. Her home life had chained as well. She and Naruto no longer had to hide their relationship. Though their relationship was known, the most they would ever do in front of the people who worked in the house, was hold hands. With her father around they still had limitations of how far they could go, but being able to treat him as a lover instead of tool for murder much better.

Hinata was being driven back to the Hyuga manor. To her left sat her father. This was the first she had seen of him since the night she was hospitalized. He was as cold and emotionless as he had always been, but him being there meant a lot to Hinata. This was the most concern he had shown for her in many years.

To her right, his hand clasping hers, sat Naruto. Her head rested on his shoulder. Though Hinata was surprised that her father had known of her relationship with her guardian, she was somewhat relieved. Being able to treat him as a lover, without having to hide it, was worth more to her than her father's entire fortune.

With her hand in Naruto's she felt secure. She knew that he would never let her go or leave her side. With her eyes closed, she laid her head on Naruto's shoulder. As she breathed his scent in, she pressed further pressed her body against his. His scent always made her crave him both romantically, and physically. The more she breathed in, the more intense the sensation became. She began to feel her body heat up. Just a touch from Naruto at that moment could make her melt into his palms. The anticipation in her heart as well as the growing warmth in between her legs was aching for the man young man that sat beside her. The fact that he was so near to her only tempted her body more.

She bit her lip, as she felt herself beginning to lose control. She curled the fingers of her hand that rested on her lap. As she began to slide the hand closer to her inner thigh, all fear of being seen perished. Her hormones were in full control of her actions.

The tip of her finger lightly grazed her aching sensitive area. As it made contact, she sharply gasped.

"Okay Lord Hyuga, we're here."

The driver's comment brought Hinata back from her lust fueled actions. She wasn't a particularly angry girl, she was quite the opposite, but whenever anyone interrupted her while she was envisioning Naruto caressing her body, the person who had done it became her worst enemy.

The three were let out of the car by the driver. Hinata shot a murderous glare at the man holding the door for them.

Hinata's gaze was more terrifying than one from her father. The man was stupefied by the intensity of it.

Hinata was warmly welcomed by the servants in the house. They were relieved to see her in good health.

The maids led them to the kitchen where Neji and Hanabi were waiting for them.

"Welcome back Hinata." Neji greeted her.

Her family had never been in one place at the same time. This was truly a warm reception.

Presented before each of them was their dinner. The chef had prepared smoked red snapper, marinated in golden mushroom broth, with diced scallions scattered across the top. This was her favorite meal, made especially in celebration of her return.

"It really wasn't the same without you here, sis." Hanabi smiled.

Everything was perfect. She was almost in tears from everything.

"Now let's eat in honor of Hinata's return." Hiashi proudly proclaimed.

After Neji and Hiashi finished their meals, they walked to his main office. The family gathering was short lived, but enjoyed no less.

Hanabi stood from her chair. Hinata noticed that she was dressed in a short cut black dress with a light blue streak across the bottom, with matching high heel shoes.

"Um...Hanabi, why are you so dressed up?"

The girl smiled and winked at her older sister "I'm meeting up with a few friend's tonight, I might be back a little late...and if I'm lucky I might be back a little later." she giggled.

Hinata deeply sighed "Hanabi, how many times do I tell you not to do that."

The girl chewed the tip of her thumb "I think this makes five."

"Yes, and every time you go, you get too drunk that I end up picking you up from some guy's house."

Her younger sister playfully ignored the comment "Maybe sixth time's the charm."

With that, she walked past her concerned elder sister, and out the door.

Naruto put his hand on Hinata's shoulder "It's getting pretty late; I'll walk you up to your room."

With every step she took, the feelings she felt many times before, returned tenfold. The dampness increased between her thighs grew as they came closer to her door.

All she needed to do was to get him into her room, and he would be hers.

"Hinata?"

Naruto's words released her from trance "Are you okay?"

The burning and anticipation in her body was too much for her to bear any longer.

Naruto saw the beads of sweat forming from her brow. He immediately rushed to her to see what was wrong. He lightly placed his forehead against hers. A blush shot across her face. The poor girl was only a hair away from losing all senses completely.

"You don't feel like you have a fever."

"N...aruto...P...please...I need..." She was hardly able to formulate a straight sentence.

Naruto held Hinata close in his harms "What do you need, Hinata? You know I'll get it for you."

All traces of the innocent Hinata had left the moment he wrapped her in his arms.

Her silence began to seriously worry him. He had never seen Hinata act so strange, especially in front of him.

"Hina..."

Just as he was about to speak her name, she pulled him in, and forced her lips onto his.

Bewildered, Naruto fell to the floor of Hinata's room. As the shock subsided, he sat up. Hinata had her arms surrounding both sides of his torso. Her long hair draped across his neck. The look of desperate yearning in her eyes.

"Naruto...I want you...I need you so badly..." her face became redder with each word. Hinata was always the shy type, never one to straight out request sex.

Naruto couldn't possibly turn her away, even if he wanted to. He gently placed his hand on Hinata's red cheek. They subtlety shifted their bodies into an upright position as they regained composure. Naruto kissed the base of her neck as he stroked his hand along her upper thigh.

From Hinata's moans, he could tell that she was losing patients with his teasing. As their tongues penetrated even deeper into each other's mouths, Naruto brought his hand closer to her sensitive spot. She eagerly awaited his touch, just his hand being so close was almost enough to make her reach her limit.

The moment blonde boy's hand made contact; she broke the kiss and violently gasped for air. She felt him make an attempt to pull his hand away.

"Please don't stop Naruto...I...want more."

The way Hinata begged for him made him want to take her where she sat, but he also wanted this to last as long as possible.

He and Hinata shifted onto her bed as they began to undress each other. With her jacket off, Hinata's beautiful figure began to show. With her black undershirt off, her top was completely bare. Her supple breasts grew warmer as Naruto began to massage them. He took each of her nipples in between his fingers and lightly squeezed. Her cries of pleasure signaled him to continue to explore her body. He guided his hand down to her womanhood. His fingers slid under the cotton material, and touched her moist sex. As he began to rub her crevice, her cries became louder.

"Hinata," Naruto whispered "Your dad's office is right next door; if we're not quiet we'll be discovered."

She silenced him with a deep lustful kiss "You told me yourself that he already thinks that we're doing this, he can't discover what he already knows." In his state of mind, Hinata's words were all he needed to hear to continue caressing her.

The thought of being heard or seen by someone excited Hinata even more.

Naruto moved his fingers from her wet slit, to her entrance. With one push, his fingers were inside of her warm womanhood. Her legs tightly held his arm to stay in position as she climaxed onto his hand.

Naruto was amazed by the intensity of her culminating passion.

Hinata was taken by the euphoric sensation as she took a moment to catch her breath. She was finally given what she had craved for so long.

Naruto kissed her sensitive lower waist and watched as her body grew excited by his touch once more. He felt he had played with her body enough. The glint in their eyes signaled they both longed for more. They longed to be in each other's arms whole they both gave, and received pleasure.

Naruto fully put his body onto his lover's bed as he spread her legs. The full view of her bare body to him was indescribable. She looked like a goddess with her angelic form. A beauty that none could destroy or tamper with.

"Naruto...please don't stare at me like that...it's embarrassing..."

The boy smiled, and entwined the fingers of his left hand with her right "You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You're beautiful Hinata."

Naruto always knew the words to make Hinata feel as if her beauty dwarfed all others, but that was only because in his eyes, it did. All of her confidence, all her hope, and all love, was so strong because of him. To her, a life without him was not worth living.

"Are you ready?"

In response, the girl rubbed the back of his hand with her thumb. They were both ready feel each other in the most intimate of ways.

Naruto steadily pushed his stiff member into her entrance. Both were unable to contain their gasp as they experienced the wonderful sensation for the very first time.

Almost automatically, Naruto began thrusting his sex into Hinata's. As he increased his pace, the girl locked her lips with his. As they became one, their tongues danced in each other's mouth.

The feeling the two felt was a mix of lust filled desire, and loving passion. Neither wanted the incredible experience to end. The erotic feelings only increased as Naruto's thrusts became stronger and rougher. Once their kiss broke, the room was filled with the cries of their pleasure. They no longer cared if anyone walked in, or who heard them. To each other, they were the only two in the world. Their cried became louder as they both finally reached their limit.

Breathless, they stared into each other's eyes; him into her crystal-like eyes, and her into his deep blue eyes. No words were exchanged between them, but through their breath, anyone could hear the love they proclaimed for each other as they fell asleep in each other's arms.

"Come on guys, it's this way." Hanabi directed.

She walked with her two closest friends, Konohamaru and Moegi.

Moegi was always the one who followed Hanabi's plans, no matter how dangerous or stupid they were. She thought she was very fun loving and envied her very much. She wished she could have even a small amount of the courage that Hanabi had.

Konohamaru was equally as impressionable. He had known Hanabi longer than any of her other friends. For several years, Konohamaru idolized Naruto. Whenever he went out, he would always wear goggles in resemblance of the ones he used to wear.

"Hanabi...are you sure we should be here?" Moegi asked as they approached a building with only one dim light pointing out the window.

"Have faith in me Moegi," she winked "I know what I'm doing. It was hard enough to sneak past my body guard, so dealing with your worries won't exactly help the situation."

Though she tried to maintain exterior confidence, she couldn't help but get the feeling that someone was watching her.

The Hyuga girl knocked on the thick metal door five times in a broken pattern.

After the echoes of her knocks subsided, there was no other sound. The silence made both Konohamaru and Moegi uncomfortable. The last time the three went out together, they ended up getting shot at under similar circumstances.

The door slowly opened in front of them. A large man in a wrinkled suit stepped out.

"What do you kids want?" The alcohol on his breath was almost strong enough to get intoxicated by breathing in.

"We have a party to attend in the basement." Hanabi sternly said.

The man spat at the ground in front of the young Hyuga girl "This place isn't for kids, now get the fuck out."

As the man was about to shut the door, Hanabi caught the edge in her palm "I don't think my father, Hiashi Hyuga, would appreciate one of his workers to treat his daughter in such a way. If you think otherwise, I can always call him and find out." she smirked.

Her words obviously put a sense of fear in the heart of the man. He no longer looked at her with arrogant eyes "I'm so sorry...please come in..."

As the girl walked past him, he prayed that she wouldn't have her father send someone to murder him for spitting at her.

Fear was Hanabi's best technique at getting what she desired. As long as she could use her father's name to intimidate people, she would do so with pride.

In the downstairs club strobe lights flew as the loud music played. This was a familiar sight to the three. People were either on the floor dancing, or at the table drinking and smoking.

"Isn't it awesome guys?" Hanabi looked around at the tightly packed, dimly lit room.

"I don't know..." Moegi was visibly uncomfortable. She wasn't the type of person who relished the party scene in a place filled to capacity with dangerous people.

Konohamaru took the frightened girl gently by the arm "Don't worry Moegi, we'll be fine." His reassuring words, somewhat set her mind to rest. Konohamaru's words always seemed to have that magical effect on people.

Hanabi worked the party completely. She had every man, whether old or young, eating from the palms of her hands. Everyone was offering drink after drink. Even though she was content with the level of attention she was receiving, she saw no one she actually wanted to go home with.

"Excuses me." A man with a smooth, deep voice called out to her.

The man had long spiky hair held up by a blue bandanna. He wore a grey jacked over a black shirt. Though the club was dark, he saw it fit to wear black sunglasses "My name is Shino Aburame."

Hanabi lightly smiled as she carefully examined the young man who approached her. The others who approached her did have good looks, but none had mysteriousness. Mystery was one thing that the man standing before her had in spades.

Konohamaru and Moegi had completely lost track of Hanabi. Under the flashing lights everyone looked similar.

"Where did she go?" Konohamaru asked, his patients wearing thin. He was almost ready to quit the search and leave without her.

"I kinda lost track of her after that crowd of guys was surrounding her." Moegi wanted to stay in the club even less, but she couldn't leave Hanabi alone; even though she always did that to them.

Just as her thoughts focused upon the promiscuous girl, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Standing behind her, in the arms of the young man she had talked to earlier, was none other than Hanabi.

"Just thought I should let you know I won't be leaving with you guys." She winked.

The two had figured this type of thing would happen. Hanabi always did this when they went out together.

With not another word spoken, she walked out of the dimly lit club hand in hand with yet another nameless man.

Hinata was awakened to the beeping of her cellphone. She felt her bare body still tight in Naruto's embrace, no awakening would have been better for her. She reached to the floor to fish her phone out of the pocket of her pants.

*New text message from Hanabi* flashed on the screen. Hinata was almost sure of what the message said as she opened it.

'Hey sis, I got a little too carried away lol, I need you to get me from the Hilton in midtown, thanks (^-^)'

Hinata sighed as she shook her head "Hanabi..."

She felt Naruto shift his body upward as he came to. He yawned and sheepishly wiped his eyes. He saw the disappointed look on Hinata's face as his vision cleared "What's wrong, Hinata?"

The Hyuga heiress stood as she went to grab her clothes off of her floor "Hanabi's drunk and needs me to pick her up from a date...again."

Naruto stood beside his distressed lover as he began to clothe himself.

"Y...you don't need to come if you don't want to, Naruto..." The flustered girl faced away as he began to pull his pants to his waist.

Naruto stood and faced her. He put his hand to her rosy cheek, and brought his forehead to hers "Hinata, I love you, you never need to ask me to go anywhere with you."

She always cursed her insecurities. They seemed to always come into play the minute she and Naruto spend a special, loving moment together. She thought this would surly make him resent her, but it always seemed to do the opposite. Whenever she would doubt herself, or their relationship, he would always do some amazing thing, even if it was something small, to reinforce her faith. He always told her that his goal was to prove to her that he had as much love for her as she had for him. It has proven to be a difficult challenge for him, but for her, he was willing to do anything.

The two walked into the lobby of the hotel. The entire staff knew their faces very well. Coming to pick Hanabi up was a regular occasion that neither Hinata, nor Naruto enjoyed.

The two walked to the front desk. A grey haired man in a suit with ten gold buttons on the jacket recognized the pair with the grimacing expression on their faces.

The man spoke before they had a chance to question him "She's in room 403."

Hinata blushed lightly "Thank you...I'll pay for her once I come back."

"No need." he said "Her...gentleman friend...already paid."

The Hyuga heiress felt so sorry for her sister. She was loved, and left. Something that she felt should never happen to anyone, whether they be man or woman.

They walked to the cream colored door with the silver numbers 403 written on it.

Hinata pushed the key card into the slot, and waited for the lock to come undone. The overbearing feeling of pity, and shame weighed on her. She secretly swore to herself that the next day, she would try her best to make her sister change her ways. She knew this was no way for a fifteen year old girl to be behaving; she only hoped that Hanabi would see it that way as well.

When she pushed the door open, she expected to hear her sister heaving the alcohol out of her system, as she usually did in this situation. But when she walked into the room, she neither saw nor heard anything in the pitch black room. The two closed the door behind them as they walked into the hotel room.

"Hanabi?" Hinata called out.

"Hold on, I think I found the light switch." Naruto said as he switched it upward. The bright lights momentarily blinded them. As their eyes adjusted to the light, Hinata began to treble as she saw the horror that lay before her.

Her sister sat in an arm chair with her hands tied to the arm rests, with a gash in her neck. Her chin was covered in the dry blood that was expelled from her open mouth, and her pale eyes were glassy and lifeless.

"Hanabi!"

Hinata ran to her sister's corpse. She violently pulled at the ropes as her tears spilled onto her cheeks. Naruto came behind her and stayed her hand "Hinata, stop. That isn't going to help her...she's gone."

Hinata knew it was too late, but she felt she needed to do something, she couldn't just leave her sister like this. The more she thought of what she should do, how she could somehow save her sister, she saw nothing would change anything. All she could do was fall to her knees, and cry.

'If only I had stopped her...if only I had said something sooner, this never would have happened.'

Hinata laid her head on her Hanabi's lap, and cried out her name until she could no longer speak.

Naruto looked saw that Hanabi's left palm had multiple slices on it. He turned her palm to fully inspect everything her killer had done to her.

Carved into her palm, was a message.

'This is what happens when our offers are refused.'

Hanabi's funeral was held four days after the body was taken from the hotel. The police tried to look for some clue as to who had viciously murdered the young girl, but nothing was found. Whoever had killed her was beyond through. He had made sure not to leave even a single hair at the scene of the crime. The only lead they had, was that it seemed to be a murder committed by a rival gang. Being that the Hyuga family controlled the entire east coast; that could be any smaller family from Maine to Florida. It made no difference to Hiashi Hyuga, whether they found DNA evidence or not. He was going to use every weapon at his disposal to find, and kill the killer, as well the rest of Inferno.

Hinata sat in her room, looking out at the courtyard through her window. All of her thoughts were focused on her younger sister. She blamed herself completely for Hanabi's death. She felt that if she had been more authoritative, she would have taken her word seriously and stopped going out to dangerous places. The more she thought, more it upset her. She sorely missed the fun loving, arrogant girl. She would gladly give anything just to speak with her one last time.

Hinata's concentration was broken as she heard a loud knocking on her door. Her father quickly walked toward her, and wrapped her in his loving embrace. He buried his eyes into her shoulder as he began to heavily weep. She returned his embrace as they sought solace in each other.

"I'm going to make things right, Hinata..." He finally spoke. "I'm going to end all of this, and I promise when it's over, I'll never put you in danger again...I love you so much...My daughter...I'm sorry." Though his words were broken, Hinata knew what he meant. She just hoped that whatever he was about to do, he would make sure he kept safe.

She watched through the window as the chauffeur opened the door for her father. He had a look of intense determination. She knew he was out for blood, and she could hardly blame him. She wanted the person who had done that horrible deed to her sister to pay just as much as well.

She saw as the chauffeur entered the driver's seat.

No more than a few moments after she heard the car's engine start, the entire vehicle burst into flames. Everyone rushed to try and put the flames out and make some attempt to save their leader, but to no avail. He was forever lost in the flames and billowing black smoke.

She was in state of shock too deep to even move. In a span of five days, she lost both her sister and father. The crown of the king had finally fallen, and dropped to her feet. By her birthright, she now was the leader of the Hyuga family. No matter if she liked it or not, the torch had been passed down to her.

To be continued...

Preview: The west coast, better known as the Uchiha's empire. Generation after generation of Uchiha had been maintaining the empire, and expanding it. Could it be possible for years of control to be undone in a matter of days?

Next chapter: Unraveling

Author's note: Please forgive me for taking so damn long to post. I do hope this chapter was worth waiting for though :3...(random guy: "you suck") Me: ":( I know."

So yeah I've decided to do an Uchiha chapter just cuz I love making you wait to see what happens to Hinata now that she's the leader :D...if you want to know a secret, xD I haven't decided what is gonna happen yet, but I am gonna make sure to give it a good go :)

~Happy Murder~


	6. Unraveling

Chapter 6: Unraveling

"Okay, please explain, how the hell did I send you out with a team of twelve and you didn't come back with one." Itachi was scolding Hikaru once again. The Phantom was sent to raid a nearby drug lab of a rival crime syndicate, and as usual he ended up losing all of his team.

"If it makes you feel any better, I was only responsible for three of the casualties." Hikaru said as he nervously scratched the back of his head.

Sakura bit her lip as she waited to hear what the crime lord was going to do with him.

Itachi deeply sighed and fell back into his chair "You're starting to become more of a liability than an asset. It may be time that I cut my losses..."

"Wait Mr. Uchiha..." Sakura interrupted.

His glare made even her, a trained killer, stiffen with fear.

"H...Hikaru has a perfect completion record..." her words seemed not to faze him the slightest bit "H...he's...killed every threat to you...and he's always finished missions quicker than me..."

"Yes, but you can finish them without any casualties in your team."

The young girl desperately tried to think of any words that would be useful to save him. She couldn't let Hikaru die for absolutely no reason, she just wouldn't let him "The only reason that happens is because the partners you assign him are nowhere near his level. Honestly the missions that you give him, he can complete on his own."

"Are you questioning the ability of my assassins?" The disgust that he felt toward the girl for actually having the audacity to insult his workers was more than apparent in his sharp tone.

Though the pink haired girl was beyond intimidated, she continued "Of course I'm not, but you can't honestly say that any of them are as good as Hikaru."

This fact wasn't new to Itachi. He knew Hikaru's skills greatly outmatched the others; he was the Phantom of the Uchiha after all.

"I know you wouldn't state the obvious to mentor no reason. What's your idea?"

"I want you to put me on as Hikaru's permanent partner." She confidently said. There was no possible way her request would be denied. How could it? They were the best he had.

"Absolutely not."

"But..." Sakura was at a loss for an argument.

"I can't run the risk of losing one of my best to my insane, trigger happy ace."

"I would never do that to Sakura!" The fact that Itachi would even suggest that he would kill Sakura, one of the people he cared most, tempted him to decorate the room with his blood.

"The only reason I ever killed any of my partners was because they couldn't keep up with me. Honestly, if Sakura becomes my partner not only will we be the absolute best team you got, I wouldn't have to kill the other partners you'd give me."

When put in terms like that, Itachi really had no other choice "Fine."

Sakura inwardly cheered in celebration of her victory.

"But, If Sakura ends up on a casualty on your missions, even if you weren't responsible, I'll see to it that your life is ended as well."

The threat had no effect on Hikaru. He had complete faith in Sakura's ability. If she would stand up against Itachi, a killer whose skill surpassed his own, then he had no reason to doubt her.

The doors to the Uchiha boss's office burst open. Sasuke ran in completely out of breath.

"I hope you have a good explanation for this intrusion, Sasuke."

Sasuke pushed passed Hikaru and Sakura "Turn to the news!"

Itachi was never one to question his brother in when matters seemed urgent. It was the bond of trust they had developed.

He picked up the remote from his desk and turned on the flat screen television mounted on his wall.

"_Tragedy after tragedy struck the Hyuga, notorious east coast crime family. After suffering the loss of Hanabi Hyuga, second daughter of Hyuga leader who was found mutilated in her hotel room; Hiashi Hyuga was murdered in a car bombing._"

"Oh my god..."Sakura said under her breath as she dug her teeth into her index finger.

"_Police have been conducting investigations, but there are too many possible suspects. These murders could have been committed by a smaller scale family trying to create a name for themselves in the underworld._

_Reporters have tried to speak with the current guardian of the late Hiashi's eldest daughter, Neji Hyuga, but all attempts were in vain as bodyguards shield the family from anyone who attempts to come near the two._

_Truly a horrifying experience..._"

Itachi shut the television off. He couldn't stand when reporters exaggerated whenever someone was murdered.

'When business is being conducted, tragedy is bound to happen. I'm not sure why the world refuses to accept that as truth.'

He returned his focus to the three standing in his room. They all wore the same expression of despair. It truly sickened him to think that all of them could possibly so naive.

"Hikaru, Sakura."

Their eyes shot back to their employer as he handed them a sealed envelope.

"Your new mission. Take it and leave."

Sakura hesitantly reached out and grabbed it from the disgruntled man.

Itachi sighed in utter disappointment "You two are assassins. Death is your paycheck, and nothing more."

"But, Brother..."

"And you, Sasuke. Hikaru and Sakura are your closest friends and you claim to respect what they do, yet you let yourself get caught up in your emotions about a family who had the potential overpower ours?"

Sasuke furiously shook his head "No, it's just...we hung around the heiress and her phantom out entire stay in New York...so I..."

"Whether you know them, or didn't know is irrelevant. We would have had to take care of Hiashi Hyuga sooner or later, and that Hanabi girl was just as much of a problem as he was." Itachi stood up from his desk "Hopefully, these other two don't do anything that warrants the same action."

Sasuke had never known his brother to be so coldhearted. He knew Itachi was all for the survival of the family, but he never knew how deep his commitment was.

"As we all know, the event of my death is very likely, and when that day comes it'll be up to you to take care of the family, Sasuke. But tell me, how do you expect to do that if you can't make the decisions that matter?"

The whole room was quiet. Sasuke knew exactly what his brother meant, but he could never be this cold to someone he never had any problems with.

"If you ever have any hope of being a good leader, you need to know this: a good yakuza boss has no friends, only good contacts. As harsh as it may sound, a position of great power leaves you isolated from all those who serve under you."

Sasuke stood speechless as he stared dejectedly at the red carpet covered in tomoe in a circular pattern. He loved his luxurious life, but he had never pictured himself as head of the Uchiha family. He had hoped his lavish lifestyle could continue while he lived worry free, but he now saw how much of a fantasy it truly was to think that.

"Come on, Sasuke." Hikaru grabbed his arm. He could see Sasuke was deeply hurt by his brother's comments, and absolutely no one could blame him for his feelings. To someone like Itachi, anyone who thought alliances could be formed through friendship was a foolish idealist; but to Sasuke, he was the type to enjoy the good side of life. The life without conflict or the betrayal of friends, but that was a life Itachi refused to believe existed.

The three walked out of Itachi's office.

The Uchiha boss looked felt his cellphone vibrating in his pocket. He looked at the screen to see the number, then answered.

"Don't you think it was a but ambitious, killing both of them in the same week?" He asked.

The man on the other line chuckled "It sent a strong message, those who go against Inferno, pay the ultimate price. Speaking of which, have you taken their offer."

"Of course I did." Itachi answered without hesitation "Only a fool would turn down an offer that good."

"I'm glad you see it that way, it's a shame the old man didn't."

"So what do you plan on doing about the other girl? She is the acting head of the Hyuga family now."

"Hinata is very easily manipulated. I'm sure I can convince her to join Inferno if I try hard enough, especially after she was attacked by their Phantom."

"And if you can't?"

"I think you already know the answer to that, Mr. Uchiha."

Itachi devilish smirked devilishly "You truly are a crafty son of a bitch, Neji."

"Not at all, I just do what I need to gain power, and Inferno can give me all I desire."

The two men reveled in Neji's underhandedness. They both saw the future of Inferno, they knew it would be the new order to the chaotic world, and they wanted a place in it.

To be continued...

Preview: The path of revenge is only sought by those who harbor intense hatred. The winding and bloodstained path always is glamorous at first sight, but once the one has walked to the end, they see the deeper truth of a much darker reality.

Next chapter: Uproot

Author's note: I'm so so sorry for the lack of action and the shortness of this chapter, but I did reveal a lot and I hope you enjoyed it :), that being said, yes, it's what you've been waiting for, the next chapter will take place in New York back with Naruto and Hinata. Let's see what happens to them now that we know Neji's true involvement in the deaths of his family members.

~Happy Murder~


	7. Uproot

Chapter 7: Uproot

The crown of the king is passed down to his decedents. The decedent inherits not only the riches their predecessor has acquired, but also the pain, destruction, and sorrow as well. No matter the reputation of the receiver of the crown, they will always be expected to live up to the reputation of the one before.

This was the reality of Hinata's situation. With her father's life conquered by the explosive inferno, she now bears the burden of a crown she never desired.

Ino had stopped by the Hyuga mansion many times many times to see Hinata, but she was denied access every time. Hinata's mental state wasn't stable enough to handle her at this time. She hadn't come out of her room one week. The only one she allowed to see her was Naruto. He was gladly her shoulder to cry on. All she felt was sorrow and raw anger. His loving embrace was all that kept her mind at rest. He was all she wanted and needed at this moment.

Because of Hinata's mental instability, Neji had been working overtime, doing not only his duties as an assassin and trainer; he also was handling Hinata's and Naruto's responsibilities. He had never been a warm person, but the extra work made him more irritable than usual.

He cursed the fragile mind of his younger cousin with every breath he took, but he knew that it might eventually work to his advantage.

Hinata lay asleep in her bed, wrapped in Naruto's arms. With him in her life, all almost seemed right with the world. He always made her forget about the dangerous world of murder, solicitation, and drugs, the world they both lived in.

The peaceful rest of the two was disturbed by a loud banging on Hinata's door, followed by an abrupt opening.

The Hyuga leader sheepishly awoke as the light from the hall hit her eyes. She could barely see the figures of the two men who had walked in.

"Lady Hyuga, Neji requests to meet with you."

Hinata clutched onto Naruto's arm. She had absolutely no intention of leaving her room, and even less intent to do any work related to her family's underhanded business.

"Can't this wait?" Naruto asked "Hinata's still in no condition to be handling..."

"He has important information on Inferno."

Once she heard the name of the organization that had cause her so much pain, her entire attitude changed. Every bit of rage she had suppressed, every grudge she held against the murderers of her family, surfaced stronger than before at that very moment.

Naruto looked to Hinata to ask her feelings on meeting about this so soon after everything that happened. Her saw her pale eyes completely glazed over with. She looked almost as if she was a shell of the person she was. He had seen this look in the eyes of too many people. Just by her grip on his arm could sense how badly she wanted to exact revenge.

She stepped off the bed and onto the floor. The chilled wood against her feet was hardly noticed by her. Her whole body was numb. Her kind heart was overwhelmed by the rage acquired from seeing too many loved ones die too soon.

She draped her robe around her body which was barely covered by a pair of shorts and a tank top. Without waiting for Naruto, she rushed to her father's conference room.

"Hinata! Wait for me!" The moment Naruto attempted to follow her, she stopped. As the blonde assassin approached her, she didn't face him.

"...Hinata?"

The girl shook her head "No, Naruto. I want to do this by myself."

"But..."

"Stay away from the conference room!...that's an order..."

Naruto had never seen her like this before. It was almost as if her personality was completely different.

Though he wanted nothing more than to go with her to comfort her, he had to follow her command. He respectfully bowed to her "Of course...Lady Hyuga..."

Hinata had to fight the urge to turn to embrace and apologize to Naruto. She never gave him a formal order, and never had any desire to do so, but she had always relied on his strength, she needed to prove herself by facing Neji alone.

'...Please forgive me, Naruto'

Hinata stood before Neji as he sat behind his desk. He couldn't help but notice how unprofessional the girl looked in her bathrobe and slippers, but nothing could be done about it at the moment.

"Hina..."

"Brother, what information do you have on Inferno?"

Neji had been trying to think of a way to ease Inferno into the convorsation, but luckily he underestimated the nascent leader's readiness to jump head first into such a sensitive topic.

"While you were hidden away in your room, an Inferno representative came to have an audience with you, but I told them you were in no condition to make any rational decision at the moment."

Hinata's silence indicated that what he had said hit some sort of nerve. He had to restrain himself from laughing at her. The girl was always too easy to read.

"They changed the conditions of their original deal, we do still give over Hyuga territory, but we will be annexed into Inferno. I believe it would be beneficial for us if we..."

"So what you're saying is, you want me to join the people who murdered my sister and father..."

Her voice shook as she spoke. Her intense glare was almost enough to intimidate her eldest cousin.

"How dare you disrespect them by doing this! "She spat through clenched teeth.

"Hinata," Neji stood from his chair and walked over to her and attempted to place his hands on her shoulders, but she quickly brushed him off "You need to understand, Inferno is offering us protection..."

"So what you're saying is, you're a coward." The girl retorted. Her sharpened tongue was beginning to agitate Neji.

"Not at all, I just want don't have any great desire to die. If you refuse this deal, you'll meet the same fate as your father and sister."

"I know I will, brother...but as long as I kill the person who did this to our family, I don't care."

She walked out of his office. Discussing this matter further would only infuriate her more. She couldn't believe Neji would even suggest joining an organization like Inferno? True, the Hyuga family was far from a clean organization, but they were honorable.

"Stop it! Let me in!" Her thoughts were distracted as she heard someone yell from the foyer. The high and scratchy voice was fairly recognizable, but she couldn't figure out who it belonged to.

The maids and butlers did their best to hold back the boy with spiky brown hair and goggles rested on his forehead as he tried to enter the mansion.

One maid pulled blue scarf around his neck at an attempt to asphyxiate him, but he managed to get it untied before it had a chance to tighten.

"I need to see Naruto!"

"Naruto has no time to look after you at this moment!" one butler said as he pulled the boy's waist "If you don't leave now, we'll have the guards deal with you, and you know exactly how they take care of intruders!"

"Let go of him!"

The entire staff looked up at the stairs leading up to the second story, where Hinata stood."

"Hinata!" Konohamaru cheered.

The staff did as they were told and begrudgingly let the boy out of their grasp.

When the boy was free, he turned and flipped his middle finger to all who held him back.

He quickly ran to Hinata and embraced her "Thank you so much!"

"Um...you're welcome, but why did you come here?"

Konohamaru's attitude became more serious as he remembered the reason why he had wanted to see Naruto so urgently.

"Hinata, I need to speak with you and Naruto right now! Where is he?"

The Hyuga leader was still beyond confused, but Konohamaru seemed very determined to speak with so she figured that it was important.

"Just follow me." Hinata was slightly nervous to see Naruto. She was afraid that he would still be angry with her for not permitting him to come to the meeting.

Naruto was fastening the buckle of his belt as he saw Hinata come back into the room.

Seeing her brought a smile to his face, but he knew something was wrong. She was avoiding eye contact with him.

"Hina..."

"Boss!" Konohamaru ran into the room "There's something I gotta tell you..." He noticed how Naruto was in the process of putting his clothes on, he then looked to Hinata, who he noticed was only wearing a bath robe. He wildly blushed "I'm so so sorry! I hope my yelling didn't interrupt you two...I can go."

Naruto slapped his palm to his forehead "It's not what you think, pervert!" Of course Naruto knew he was partly responsible for making him the way he was. He did idolize the blonde after all.

"What did you come here for anyway?"

Konohamaru calmed himself down and spoke "It's about Hanabi."

Hinata's eyes widened as she heard the name of her sister mentioned. She had almost forgotten exactly how he had felt for her sister. She noticed what Hanabi was too oblivious to.

"What about her?" Naruto asked.

Konohamaru took a deep breath "I can help you find her killer."

Naruto and Hinata were silent.

"Say something!" he turned to Hinata "I know you must want revenge for her death," He turned to Naruto "You're the only one who can get it for us!" He could hear the shakiness in the boy's voice.

"Konohamaru, I..."

Konohamaru dropped to his knees and bowed his head to the floor "Please..." He begged as tears began to spill down his cheeks "You need to, Naruto...you just need to..."

Hinata understood how he felt. She wanted to avenge the death of the ones she loved as well, but after how she had just treated Naruto, she didn't know if she had the courage to ask him.

Naruto walked to Konohamaru, still bowed down. He knelt down and rubbed his hair "Get up, Konohamaru."

The boy wiped his eyes and picked his head up "So...does this mean you'll do it? You'll kill the man who did this?"

"What this means is, I'm fine with doing the job, but this isn't just any person we're talking about any person, this is Hinata's sister we're talking about." Naruto turned and faced Hinata, who still avoided making any eye contact with him.

'...She must still be angry about me questioning her order...' he bowed his head "Lady Hyuga, do you approve of this mission?"

Hinata clutched the fabric of her robe 'He called me Lady Hyuga...I knew it, he is still mad about me treating him like that...' Though she misread his intentions, she nodded.

Konohamaru jumped when he saw the signal of acceptance from the Hyuga leader.

"Thank you so much Hinata!"

Naruto had never seen annoying so excited to see someone die, but in this line of business one would see things that normal people wouldn't.

"Just give us a few minutes, Konohamaru. Wait downstairs for us."

He slyly smiled "I see how it is, boss." he winked "Try not to go too hard on her."

Hinata blushed as the boy ran off.

"Konohamaru!" Naruto cried out.

Naruto brought his attention back to Hinata. He needed to apologize to her. He viewed her as his radiant goddess; he never wanted to do anything to disrespect her.

"Hinata I'm..."

Hinata wrapped her arms around the blonde boy "Please forgive me Naruto...Speaking with Neji was just something I needed to do by myself."

"Hinata..." He was cut off again

"I know you're probably angry with me...but you have to understand, I'm the leader of the Hyuga...as much as I'd like to, I can't hide behind you all the time."

"But, Hinata..."

"Naruto, I..."

Naruto silenced her with a swift kiss to her lips.

"Hinata, calm down." He smiled "I was never angry with you; honestly I was worried you were mad at me for trying to go against your order."

She buried her forehead into his shoulder "I could never feel any anger towards you, Naruto, even if I tried, I couldn't.

His lips met hers and their tongues danced in a flurry of passion. Both were completely lost in the euphoric sensation.

Their lips finally broke free from each other as they gasped for air.

Hinata giggle as she seductively smiled at Naruto "Remember, go easy on me."

The two laughed. Their laughter was almost enough to lighten the fact that they all would be claiming revenge for Hanabi and possibly Hiashi through the blood of their assailant.

Naruto, Konohamaru, and Hinata a walked down the broken pavement in the seedy neighborhood. The broken glass shimmered like diamonds under the streetlights. The graffiti on the walls had depictions of men being murdered, as well as blood soaked dollar bills.

Blood money was foundation of the underground. For Naruto, this was a literal truth. The way he made money, was by spilling the blood of whoever he was told to.

Konohamaru noticed Naruto had a gym bag slung around his shoulder.

"Um, boss? What's with the bag?"

Naruto smirked "Call it an information kit."

Konohamaru was visibly confused by what he had said.

"Just wait, you'll see. Right now we need to know everything you know about this guy. That means Name, defining characteristics, anything that will help us find this guy."

Konohamaru began to think "I heard he always goes to this club around here, he wore sunglasses..."

Naruto shook his head "I'm not talking about what he wore, I need to know more specific things."

"Okay, okay, calm down. He had spiky brown hair, and for then name...I think he said it was something like Mino something-ame."

Naruto cocked his head. He tried to think of any killers, both major and small time, with any name that fit the vague description. He could think of no one with the name Mino.

"Wait..." He paused "You couldn't possibly mean Shino Aburame."

Konohamaru nodded "Yeah! That was it!"

"Why do you think it couldn't be him?" Hinata asked.

"Well, he's the only one who fits that description around these parts of town, so I think it is him, but..."

His hesitance was beginning to worry her "...But?"

Naruto shook his head "Shino is a small time murderer for hire, there's no way Inferno with their amazing connections, would ask for help from someone with limited skills like him."

Hinata knew he was right. After all they both had firsthand experience with one of Inferno's assassins.

"Throat slashing is one of Shino's trademark techniques, so I'm pretty sure that it's him, but...there might be a chance that Inferno didn't hire him."

"But, why would someone hire him to say Inferno did it?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders "I wish I knew the answer."

The three reached the club. Gaining access wasn't very complicated when you happen to be accompanied by the Hyuga leader and her Phantom.

The strobe lights flew as the bass from the stereo shook the floor. The dance floor was crowded women in skimpy outfits, and men with lust filled eyes.

Konohamaru tried to look past the hoard of people in the building, but he could hardly see anything. He looked to the bar, only one person sat there. He closely examined the person, though he could only See him from the side, he could easily see his sunglasses and spiky hair.

With his trembling hands, he tugged on Naruto's arm.

Naruto turned to see the nervous face of Konohamaru "I see him...he's sitting at the bar..."

An evil smirk spread across Naruto's face "Good find Konohamaru. Follow me."

Naruto slowly walked toward the young man at the bar, as to not arouse any suspicion. With the dancers rocking back and forth, it provided a perfect distraction for the assassin.

Shino was only a few feet away from the phantom, only a few more seconds and he would be his.

Shino put some money by his cup on the bar, and began to walk toward the crowed of dancers. He looked behind him to see if the person he had seen coming was still behind him. He only saw Konohamaru and Hinata walking after him.

'I knew it, I was being followed...but where's the other one?'

Just as the question entered his mind, he felt something press against his waist. He looked to see who would dare touch him.

"Where do you think you're going?" Naruto smirked.

"What do you want?"

Konohamaru stood in back of the murderer.

"Come and take a walk with us." Naruto said as he grabbed the young man's back collar "And if you try anything, if you're lucky, your ass will end up in a wheel chair."

Naruto got in back of him, and pressed the gun to his lower back. He pushed Shino toward the bathroom located in the back of the club.

The one question that raced through Shino's mind was 'How the hell am I gonna get out of this?'

The four entered the filthy bathroom. The entire surface was covered in a mixture of dried urine and vomit. The smell was revolting; Hinata covered her nose with the sleeve of her jacket.

"Konohamaru, keep the door closed, I don't want any unwanted interruptions."

"Y...you got it boss." Konohamaru had never seen a murder performed; he had never even seen a dead body in person. The stress was almost enough to make him have a nervous breakdown, but he knew, for Hanabi, he had to stay strong. He wanted to see her murderer pay for what he did to her.

Naruto forced Shino's back to the ground pushing face against the wet floor. He pushed his knee into his chest, constricting his breathing.

"Listen, I only have $1000 on me... take it and leave me alone." he managed to say.

He heard the hazy laugh of the one who had him pegged to the ground "We don't want your money."

The murderer's body began to tremor. If they didn't want his money, there was only one thing they could want from him, something he couldn't imagine giving.

"Naruto..." Hinata quietly called out to him.

He had almost forgotten that she was still very delicate. She probably didn't want to have to witness this.

Before he could tell Konohamaru to open the door to let Hinata out, she spoke "Make sure he suffers."

Naruto smiled and bowed his head "As you wish, Lady Hyuga."

Shino's eyes opened wide "H...Hyuga?"

Naruto reached into his gym bag and pulled out a knife covered in rust, and a bottle of iodine.

"I'm glad to see that name means something to you." He said as he ripped off Shino's shirt. Leaning in close to his face "If I'm not mistaken, you were hired to murder a girl by the name of Hanabi Hyuga not too long ago, didn't you, and don't you dare lie."

Shino was silent.

Naruto poured iodine onto the blade as he sliced across his stomach. Shino screamed as the burning sensation of the iodine met with his fresh slice "I didn't hear you Shino, what was your answer?"

"YES!"

"Yes what?" He asked as he poured more iodine onto the wound.

"YES I KILLED HER!"

Naruto lightly chuckled "It's a good thing the music is so loud, or else everyone would hear you screaming. Karma's a bitch, isn't it?"

"You fucking insane bastard..." He huffed.

Naruto removed the boy's sunglasses "Next question. Who hired you, and why?"

"What...do you mean why? I was hired...to kill her you idiot." Shino said while panting.

"Wrong answer." Naruto held Shino's right eye open with his thumb and index finger as he grabbed the bottle of iodine.

"No...no please don't!"

Naruto dropped the dark liquid into the young man's eye.

"SHIT!" He cried out as the liquid burned his retina.

"Answer the question!"

"I DON'T KNOW WHY I WAS HIRED THE KILL HER! THE GUY JUST SAID DO IT!" he screamed as tears began to fall from his eyes.

"What guy! Why hired you!" Naruto yelled as he dug the rusty knife into Shino's shoulder and poured iodine down the blade.

"NEJI HYUGA! NEJU HYUGA HIRED ME!"

None of the three were prepared for what they just heard. They never would have suspected this type of betrayal from Neji, the person who claimed to have the family's best interest at heart.

"He...hired me to kill her and write that message in her palm!" Shino groaned out.

Naruto looked to Hinata to see what his next course of action should be.

Hinata grimly looked at her assassin as her fists clenched "We've got all the information we need out of him...we're done here."

Naruto nodded, and put his tools back into the bag. He got off of the badly wounded Shino Aburame.

"Wait...you're not just gonna leave me here...are you?" The three walked toward the door of the bathroom.

"You can't just leave me!"

Without looking, Naruto aimed his pistol at Shino's head, and pulled the trigger.

Naruto, Hinata, and Konohamaru couldn't stop thinking about what Shino had told them. How could Neji betray they Hyuga like this?

Konohamaru "...So, Boss, what do we do now?" He asked with his voice wavering. He still hadn't fully recovered from seeing the man being tortured. He was thankful that he hadn't eaten anything recently, because from the feeling he had, he would be completely unable to stomach it.

"I'm going back to the Hyuga mansion." he said "Neji and I have some business to discuss."

Hinata grabbed onto his arm "I'm going with you."

"No Hinata."

"But..."

"It's not safe."

"But, Naruto..."

"Hinata, you're not coming with me and that's final."

She felt as if her insides had knotted up.

"I couldn't forgive myself if anything happened to you, so I won't bring you around someone as dangerous as Neji."

Hinata gritted her teeth and slapped Naruto across the face "I know how dangerous he is! I know how underhanded and sneaky he is, but have you ever stopped to confided how I feel?" her eyes began glistening "Do you ever stop and think about how I feel whenever you're assigned off on some dangerous mission? I'm always worried sick! Every time you leave, I always know there was a chance you wouldn't come back...I couldn't bear it if that happen...I just couldn't..."

"...Hinata."

"After all that we've been through tonight, I'm my going to let you leave like this, I'm sticking by hour side whether you want me to or not!"

He knew exactly how worried she was, but he wasn't sure he could protect her if she joined him in his confrontation of the traitor Hyuga.

He placed his hands on the shoulders of the woman he loved dearly "Hinata...I can't...Think about it, if we face him together and he kills us, he could just call you the traitor and no one would question him. But with you alive, no matter what happens to me, you'll be protected by the Hyuga who are loyal to your father."

Hinata knew he was right, but it didn't help ease the pain at all.

"Go wait at Ino's house." he said "If I'm not back within three hours, just assume the worst, and leave the state."

As he broke the embrace, Hinata clung to his arm "As leader of the Hyuga family...Naruto...I order you to come back safely."

Naruto looked into her tear filled eyes. He leaned in and his lips met hers. For all he knew, this was the last time his lips would ever be in contact with her again, so he savored every second of it.

As soon as their lips parted, Naruto ran off.

'...Please come back Naruto...I love you.'

Neji was in Hiashi's office overlooking some paperwork. His bodyguard stood beside him as he was busy at his desk.

They both heard a loud banding on the door.

"Who is it?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"It's Naruto! I need to speak with you, open up!"

He sighed deeply "Open the door before he tries to break it down."

The guard nodded "Yes sir." Just as he cracked open the door, Naruto burst in.

Neji smirked "What's got you so worked up?"

The guard shut the door and stood in front of it.

"I just had an interesting little conversation with your friend Shino Aburame."

The pale eyed man chuckled "Really? And what did he say?"

"Nothing, besides the face that you're a treacherous piece of shit!" Naruto pulled out his Night Hawk .50, and aimed it toward the guard at the door who already had his drawn.

The guard fired one shot at Naruto. Naruto precisely aimed his gun and shot at the bullet. The two bullets caved into each other as the collided and fell to the floor. The second shot was countered in the exact same way. Naruto fired the third and final shot ending, the guard's life.

"My, my. Such skill, it's a shame to waste it like this." he sighed "Oh well, like father, like son I guess."

Naruto cocked his head "What do you mean?"

"Your father was quite a talented Phantom as well; in fact, he was the first Phantom of the Hyuga."

Naruto gritted his teeth "That's a lie! My mother and father were nothing but poor trash who sold me so they could get drug money!"

Neji nodded his head "Yes, that's exactly what I told your master at that compound to tell you. But the truth is, your father, my first partner, was an amazing killer. When I was only thirteen, I knew I needed to make a name for myself. I was sick of just being the offspring of the outcast twin brother of my uncle.

I decided to throw myself into the most dangerous line of work, an assassin for hire. I always took on the toughest missions, but I would always end up needing to be rescued by my partner, Minato Namikaze, the Phantom. He taught me how to fight in close range, how to use a gun, even how to assemble and disassemble one.

Honestly I idolized the man, but one thing was always his weakness. He had formed a relationship with the head of the late Uzumaki family, Kushina Uzumaki.

The two would constantly meet with each other, it was so sweet." he sarcastically said. "Anyway, later on, he got a mission to eliminate the entire Uzumaki family, including his beloved Kushina. Funny twist of fate, don't you think?"

The expression on Naruto's face was beyond satisfying to the treacherous Hyuga man.

"But instead of doing his mission like he was instructed, he decided to take Kushina and run away.

There was a massive manhunt for him; nobody was able to find him, no one except for me. Hiashi, that damn fool, only had us search the east coast, because he was too afraid to extend the search anywhere where he didn't have control. Little did he know, those two were living comfortably in a city in Minnesota.

For a year I regularly watched them without them noticing. And wouldn't you know it, they actually had a child together. I think you know what that child's name was, don't you, Naruto?"

The enraged expression on Naruto's face made the experience all the mire thrilling.

"I attacked and killed them both before they even knew what happened. And in the middle of that blood stained chaos, you were caught in the middle of it. Just an infant no older than my newborn little cousin. Because of your father's amazing ability I wanted you to carry on his skill. I sold you to a dealer who was more than happy to take you after explaining who your father was..

I told him I wanted no record of me dropping you off at that facility, and also told him to document that it was your parents who sold you for drugs instead.

A few years later, I advised my uncle to scout for a good assassin there. It was a great leap of faith, but I had confidence in your abilities. Even if you had half the skill of your father, it would be more than enough to get you noticed."

Naruto's hands trembled "...You bastard...so all those years I suffered there were because of you!"

"You really should be thanking me; after all, you did get Hinata out of it." Neji shook his head "It's truly a shame; I didn't want to kill either of you. I figured Hanabi would be enough to scare Hinata into joining Inferno, and Hiashi, I had aspirations of murdering him to gain control of this family for years. Hooking a car bomb up unnoticed is quite easy when nobody would ever suspect the bodyguard of the man being bombed."

"And you think you're gonna get away with this!" Naruto yelled.

"How can't I? Most of the Hyuga family is loyal to me, and after I join with Inferno, there will be no place you'll be able to hide, that is, if you live that long."

Just as Neji finished his sentence, ten armed guards burst into the room and began firing at Naruto.

There was nowhere for him to take cover, all he could do was doge and hope not to get hit.

He was almost out of bullets, so deflecting was not an option. He needed every last round in that clip if he hoped to make his way back to Hinata.

As the bullets cascaded around him, he stood and fired at one of the guards and penetrated his forehead. The others stopped to see what had happened to the man, providing the perfect temporary distraction."

Desperate to make an escape, Naruto ran top speed to the window on the side wall of the room.

The guards caught wind of what the boy was trying to do, and attempted to either kill him, or immobilize him, but all attempts were in vain. Naruto ran into the window shoulder first and shattered the glass. He fell down from the second story, and landed in one of the bushes surrounding the mansion.

There was nothing else he could do. He couldn't negotiate, he couldn't go back and try to make amends with the Hyuga family, all he could do was run, and he wasn't even sure how long he would be able to keep that up.

All hope of any place back in the family, was forever lost. Neji had done it, he won. Everything he had worked for, he had finally achieved, and there was nothing Naruto could do to stop this.

Naruto and Hinata sat in the waiting area of the airport as they waited for their flight to arrive.

(flashback) When Naruto made it to Ino's house, Hinata was more than elated about his safe return, but she was quickly informed that the celebration was too soon. He told her that Neji would send people after them and if they didn't escape soon, their lives would end by the break of dawn.

Ino had told them about a contact their father had. Apparently he would be able to keep them safe. Naruto had no idea how this man planned on going against the Hyuga family with someone as ruthless as Neji in charge, but it was their last chance at survival.

(End flashback)

Naruto held onto Hinata's hand as time dragged on. No one could have imagined that the night would go so horribly wrong.

All they could do was hope the contact that Ino referred them to would be good. Naruto had no reason to believe that Ino would betray them, but the contact on the other hand, he had no idea who he was. For all he knew he was an agent of Inferno, but in this desperate time, desperate measures had to be taken. This leap of faith the couple took, could be their last, and they both knew it.

"I think it's down this street." Hinata said as she led Naruto to the shop where Ino's contact lived.

Naruto put his hands behind his head "This guy better be good. I mean we flew all the way to Michigan to see him. If he's not worth it..."

Hinata clung to his hard "Don't worry, Naruto. In the type of situation we're in, I don't think Ino would refer us to anyone bad."

He wanted nothing more than to not worry, but when the life of the one he loved was in danger, he just couldn't be.

He still felt much fear and doubt about the man, but for Hinata, he feigned a smile, and acted as if he felt no fear.

Hinata pointed ahead "That's the shop we're looking for."

As the two approached the door, Naruto did his best not to shiver. Their lives depended on the help of this man, and if he failed, they were as good as dead.

Lost in thought, he hardly people opening the shop door. Before he regained his senses, he had knocked into the couple walking in. One was a brown haired boy, who wore a grey shirt and white slacks, and a girl with short green hair who wore a yellow shirt with red ribbons, and a skirt.

"I'm so sorry." He said as he dusted himself off. He looked into her cold grey eyes as the man helped her off the ground.

"It's fine." she emotionlessly responded.

To be continued...

Preview (Reiji and Erin's perspective)

Eren: We are ghosts with no place to haunt

Reiji: Phantoms with no identity

Next chapter: Ghosts

Author's note: First off please let me apologize for taking so long to update. It's only that I had already written chapter 6 (Which was very short) and I didn't feel right about leaving you guys with something so small and unsatisfying (that's what she said)

Second, sorry about the ending of this chapter, I needed it to end so that the real action can begin.

War is about to start, AND SHIT IS ABOUT TO GO DOWN! :p but not next chapter cuz that's gonna revolve around Ein and Zwei

Thirdly, yes I lied, I figured out a way to get Ein and Zwei in the story I hope you enjoy

~Happy Murder~


	8. Ghosts

Chapter 8: Ghosts

The morning light broke through the translucent curtains in the small room of a bed and breakfast. This house was in a secluded enough location that many people, both travelers and convicts alike, took refuge.

Ein reluctantly opened her eyes to the sun's glare. As she tried to pull herself out bed, she felt it. She had forgotten she had asked him to hold her like the first time he had saved her life.

She placed her hands upon his as she felt his warmth transfer to her body. She closed her eyes and leaned back against his chest. His scent overtook her senses with every breath she took.

Being so close to him always made her feel at ease, and uneasy at the same time. Her whole life she had been taught to live without emotion, she had been taught just to be a tool and function. She never imagined she would experience something this strange.

With every touch, he made her stomach flutter, with every smile, her cheeks flushed. She had no idea what this meant, why, or when it happened. All she knew was, she never wanted this moment to end.

She turned to face him, still sleeping. His hair was a complete mess, which was enough to invoke a slight giggle from her.

The smile he was always able to bring to her face, even that was precious to her. He was the only one to make her feel true happiness. Thinking back on the times they've shared together, she wondered how she lived without him.

She placed her hand on his left cheek. As she began to draw her face closer to his, she felt her body begin to tremble.

She shook her head 'I mustn't be afraid...' trying to encourage herself.

She brought her lips closer to his. 'This is it.' she thought as they were only a hair's length away.

Reiji's arched his back as he began to lift his body up. Eren quickly moved away before she was discovered.

She tried her best to hide her disappointment, but it grew increasingly harder as her feelings toward the young man grew stronger.

Reiji's body was illuminated as the golden ray of sunlight shown upon it. He sluggishly opened his eyes. As his gaze set upon her, Ein's heart raced. His broken, yet seductive smile was almost too much to handle so early in the morning.

She stood and turned away from him as he made his way from under the warmth of the comforter.

"Good morning, Eren." He said with a yawn "Were you able to sleep okay?"

Ein picked up her clothes that lay scattered messily across the bedroom floor, and article by article, began to dress herself. "It's time we get ready." she spoke with no emotion in her voice as usual "It's not wise for us to stay in one place very long."

"...R-right." Reiji had hoped by this point in time, they would have at least been able to have more fluent conversations. He understood the situation entirely. He knew they were being hunted down and every day was possibly their last day to live, but he wanted to be able to have a decent conversation with the one person who understood him better than any other.

His attention shifted to Ein. Her angelic body was glowing as the sun's rays shown upon her. With her with her petite and fragile looking figure, no one would even suspect that she was a killer.

Reiji's thought process was thrown off as he felt his grey tee shirt and pants land on his head.

"I said we need to get moving."

Ein's annoyed expression brought back memories of when the two would pretend they were a normal couple. Reiji smiled as he remembered the warmth of her body against his when walked closely with their arms linked.

Ein felt her cheeks flush. No matter how much time she spent with Reiji, no matter how long she's been in his presence, his smile always had the strangest effect on her.

The young couple walked down the stairs hand in hand. They were prepared to stage their performance for the man and woman who let them stay the night. No matter how open the two were to their guests, the Phantoms knew they could take no chances. The less the public knew about Inferno, the safer they would be.

They walked into the living room where the smell of bacon filled the air. The old man who owned the house sat in his armchair, shaking his head as he stared at the television. "What the hell has this world come to." he droned with disappointment.

The two walked over to see exactly what the man was talking about.

Pictures of men dressed and women dressed in black suits gathered in a large crowd. The cameras then showed a girl with long raven colored hair crying over a casket as a young man with blonde hair tried to console her.

To her left, stood an older man with a stern expression. He looked to be related to the crying girl, but not nearly as affected as she was.

Ein took notice to his pale colored eyes. She recognized him as Neji Hyuga.

"Sir, what exactly happened?" Reiji asked.

"These goddamn gangs, they always go too far and forget that human life has value." He pulled out his cigar and lit it. "That girl who's crying, she lost both her little sister and father in a gang related killing." he puffed a cloud of smoke. "The police think the Uchiha had something to do with it. Rumor has it the Hyuga and Uchiha were in serious competition with each other."

Reiji had already begun calculating the situation.

"I say if they wanna kill each other, keep the kids out of it. There's no reason why a child's blood should be spilled just cause the grown-ups had it out for each other."

The man's wife came out with a plate prepared her and her husband.

"Good morning, you two." she greeted them with a warm smile. "Would you like something to eat?"

"I'm sorry." Ein said "But we need to be going."

Reiji handed the woman the money before they turned to walk out the door "Thank you for your hospitality."

"It was no trouble at all. Please come back again if you need somewhere to spend the night."

As Reiji and Ein walked down the rural streets, one thought kept crossing the young man's mind. Something about the story with the Hyuga boss's murder didn't add up.

"Reiji."

He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the soft voice of his companion.

"You're haven't said a word since we left. Are you alright?"

Reiji shook his head "It's just the whole news story...something isn't right. I remember the Hyuga and Uchiha made sure to keep good relations because the last thing an organization as large as that wanted, was to go to war with an equally powerful organization. So it doesn't make sense that the Uchiha would do this."

Ein smirked as she heard Reiji's calculations. She had always taught to think objectively when she trained him.

"So tell me Reiji, if the Uchiha aren't responsible, who is?"

"Well..." he paused "My best guess would be Inferno, but I don't see any reason to kill the head of a major organization. They don't usually take power like that."

"Reiji, you worked for them and still can't think of any reason why they would do this?" She was obviously disappointed. He lost the spark as soon as he had it. "Think back to when we were taking Melanie Square. That night, how many mob bosses did we assassinate in the process of taking it."

Reiji had almost forgotten about his early missions. He had especially tried to suppress the memory of this one. Taking that child's life was not something he could easily live with.

"You're right...we took down every west coast family besides the Uchiha..."

"Correct." she nodded "And what did every one of those crime lords have in common?"

Reiji finally understood "They all objected joining Inferno..." It wasn't hard to believe that someone like Hiashi Hyuga, who devoted his life to expanding his control over the east coast, wouldn't want to cosign his life work over to Inferno.

"This must mean the Uchiha are next..." He said to himself. He could only imagine the type of bloodshed this war would cause.

"You're forgetting one factor in this equation...what if the Uchiha already joined Inferno?"

Reiji knew Itachi Uchiha was just as power hungry as Hiashi, but unlike him, Itachi was willing a do anything to obtain it. His joining Inferno was a highly likely scenario, and if it was true, then Inferno had the entire United stated in their grasp.

Ein could read Reiji's expression. He understood the severity of their situation, and the likelihood of them living decreased even more.

They stopped once they reached the bus stop. The streets and sidewalks were completely vacant. This was both comforting, and nerve racking for the two assassins. Hearing only the sound of their voices was pleasant, but the quiet only made them worry more about an ambush. There was no place they could hide if one did occur, and they didn't have enough ammunition to withstand a shootout with forces as large as Inferno's.

"So...where do we go from here?" Reiji asked. They virtually had no place to run or hide. He knew for a fact that when Inferno wanted someone dead, the only choice that person had, was which way to roll over when it happened.

"You don't need to worry." Ein said as she grasped onto his arm. "I know somewhere where we can hide. Inferno would never expect to find us there."

Reiji knew very well that Ein had developed many good contacts over the years she spent with Scythe Master, but... "That's not what I meant."

The girl closed her eyes and rested her head on Reiji's shoulder.

"I meant how are we gonna manage to live long enough to see this hide out your talking about."

Ein stayed quiet while she savored the warm feel of her companion "I can't guarantee our safety on this trip."

Reiji's heard sank when he heard Ein's soft words.

"But..." she continued "I can guarantee yours."

"Ein...what do you..."

"I'll make sure you get there, even if I have to give my life in the process."

He wanted to protest. He wanted to tell her that he would never ask her to do something like that for him, but he knew nothing he'd say would change her mind. He knew that she meant exactly what she said, and he would do the same thing for her. All he could do, was pray that neither of them had to sacrifice their lives.

"So we're in agreement then?" McGuire sat with his back facing Itachi with his legs crossed as he leisurely sipped his champagne.

"Of course. The Uchiha family would more than willing to annex into Inferno. We've been looking to expand our territory; this seemed like the perfect opportunity."

McGuire chuckled as he twisted lock of his long blue grey hair between his fingers "Just remember mister Uchiha, no matter how much you gain, it still is territory that belongs to Inferno. Is that clear?"

Itachi was not one to fright easily, in fact there were few things that he actually could say scared him, but the quiet intensity of the Inferno head's voice was enough send a chill down his spine. "Yes...of course sir..."

The drug lord contently smirked "Now that that's settled, I've heard you wanted to let Inferno utilize your best assassins to help with the little dilemma of our runaway Phantoms."

"Um, Yes. My forces are more than capable taking on those two. If you want, I can have them ready to move out by the end of the night."

"Are you trying to Say Inferno's forces aren't capable of handling our own Phantoms?"

Itachi froze, this was the second time he sad said something to insult Inferno. Though it was unintentional, that wouldn't stop a bullet from spreading the contents of his head over McGuire's carpet.

McGuire couldn't help but laugh at the Uchiha. He had never been able to strike so much fear into someone. This special trait of Itachi's would make him very easy to manipulate and control. Having the Uchiha firmly in his grasp would be a great advantage both nationally, and internationally.

"Don't concern yourself with our freedom seekers. We've been training someone for the past two years to effectively take care of them."

In the still night, only the sound of running footsteps filled the night. Two men ran at their top speed down a dark alley way, desperately trying to escape the terror that awaited them.

"Damn it!" One of the men exclaimed "Why the fuck did I let you talk me into doing this shit! I told you we shouldn't have fucked with Godo family's drugs!"

"Shut up!" The man's partner huffed "You had your chance to back out," He paused to take a breath "But you wanted the pay just as much as I did."

"Fuck all that!" The man screamed once more "How the he'll are we gonna get away from that blonde bitch!"

"Don't worry. Tony should be up the alley with his car. We'll get out of this alive." He assured his distraught partner.

They neared the end of the alley and stopped to rest. They were completely out of breath and they found it hard to stand. Their hope of survival was all that gave them the comfort to stop running. They saw the car right at the end of the alley.

"Hey Tony!" The man called out. The silence, though it was only for a few seconds, made him begin to doubt his partner's word about them escaping.

"Tony?" The man called out once more. "Why the fuck isn't he answering!" he turned to his partner.

Before he had a chance to respond, the headlights of the car shown on them.

The two men were temporarily blinded by the light, but were grateful they saw them.

"Tony, you son of a bitch." The man chuckled "Why'd you wait so..." He froze.

In the drivers sat a young woman with long blond hair fashioned into a pony tail. Next to her sat Tony, with the collar of his shirt stained dark red from the bullet hole in his neck.

The young woman reveled in the look of hear across the faces of the two men "Sorry, doesn't look like Tony will be driving."

"You bitch!" the man reached into the pocket of his flight jacket for his gun. Before he was able to even grab hold of it, he heard a loud crack, followed by a severe pain in his right shoulder.

He felt his head become light, and his vision begin to blur. He fell to his knees as his felt his body go into shock.

"Holy shit...are you..." Before the man's partner could finish, his head had been split by the assassin's second shot.

The man's body trembled. He knew that he would be next; it was only a matter of time. Slowly, he closed his eyes, and waited for the girl to finish him off.

The girl maniacally laughed as she saw the pathetic sight. She expected more fight out of him, but instead got nothing worth even laying eyes on. She pulled the trigger to end his suffering.

She stepped out of the car and over to the bodies to collect the stolen drugs. How they managed to make off with four kilos of uncut Nicaraguan cocaine from the one of the Godo's labs was beyond her.

"If it wasn't for Inferno, those self-righteous Japs could never have their business survive in the states."

"You're wrong." The familiar voice of a man came from behind her "It's because of you that they're able to survive. Inferno is nothing without their Phantom. Because of the fear you drive in the hearts of others, Inferno is able to stand, therefore all who seek its protection are protected."

She loved hearing things like this. Being a killer was all that she was ever good at doing, knowing she was the best at it, made her feel like she had a purpose.

"So what are you here for, Scythe? You don't usually come to pat me on the back after a mission."

The white haired man adjusted his glasses "I have a new assignment." He smirked "This is the one you've been waiting for."

"So, I finally get to do it. I finally get to give Reiji Azuma and that bitch what they deserve." Though she had been waiting and training for this moment for two years, she never expected to feel this hollow when the moment came. This hollowness made her wonder if she actually had it in her to pull the trigger when Reiji stood in front of her, or would she freeze up and let him kill her.

Ein and Reiji had stopped to stay in a hotel once they reached the city. Their journey had been surprisingly peaceful. During their three days of travel, they hadn't been confronted or shot at. It was a much desired change of pace considering for the past two years they were being relentlessly hunted.

The couple walked into their room and dropped what little luggage they had. The room was relatively small, but it was much better than having to sleep on the streets.

Ein sleepily rested her head on Reiji's shoulder. His sweet natural sent mesmerized her. It was as if time stood still and blessed her with one moment of much deserved, and desired comfort.

Reiji looked down to see her angelic face once again. Her eyes then met his.

They stayed like this for what seemed like hours to them; completely lost in each other's lost in each other's eyes.

Reiji quickly turned away from her. With her body pressed this close to, he found it hard to control his impulses.

"We...should probably get some rest...we'll need to leave early tomorrow."

Ein clenched the fabric of her skirt.

"Would you like to take your shower first..."

Suddenly, he felt her delicate lips lightly press against his.

Though he was taken by surprise, he had no intention of fighting this.

With every second that passed, Ein prayed that Reiji wouldn't pull away from her. She had to muster up every ounce of courage she had just to consider doing this. All she wanted, all she could possibly hope for, was to stay like this just a little longer.

Reiji gently placed his hand on top of hers; he felt her body tense. He broke the kiss, much to Ein's disappointment. His lips moved down to her neck; Ein gasped. This experience was totally new to her, she finally felt accepted and cared for. The mixture of love and lust began to eat away at her rational mind, and she savored every second that Reiji's body remained in contact with hers.

Reiji's hand slid down to her thigh. His touch against her smooth skin sent shockwaves of pleasure down her spine.

With every kiss against her vein, Ein's breath became shallower. She felt Reiji's hand begin to move under her skirt. As he got closer and closer to her sensitive area, her thighs tightened together, eagerly waiting for his touch.

Reiji heard the green haired girl hold her breath as he touched the fabric of her panties. He smirked, and removed his hand, earning a whine from her.

He placed his hands on her waist, and gently laid her on her back. His lips met hers once more.

Ein felt his tongue enter into her mouth. With his left hand, he began to unbutton the red ribbons of shirt. He pulled away from her to fully soak in beauty of her exposed form. He had seen her naked many times in the past, but never had he noticed exactly how much of a woman she was. Everything, from her eyes which carried a charming sense of mystery within them, to her flawless skin which begged for the touch of a lover, radiated with beauty.

He cupped her left breast, while teasing her right nipple with his tongue. With every brush of his tongue, she began to lose control. Her cries of pleasure became louder. She was now his; her body uncontrollably melting into the palm of his hand.

On the roof of the building opposite the hotel, unbeknownst to the newfound lovers, through the scope of a sniper, their every move was being watched. The blond haired assassin bit her lips as she saw Reiji caressing Ein. Just the sight of it filled her soul with deep hate.

Her finger tapped against the trigger rhythmically as her blonde locks fluttered in the wind "I'll wait til they're done...I'll grant them that as their last request."

Reiji kissed down her stomach, and continued to her waist. He quickly undid Ein's skirt, and tossed it onto the floor. Her panties met the same fate as her skirt.

Totally exposed to him, Ein could no longer stand to be teased. She desperately needed to feel Reiji, her Reiji's touch.

Reiji's tongue made contact with the warmth between Ein's thighs. Her back arched as his tongue applied pressure to her clitoris.

Ein began to writhe in euphoric pleasure as she felt the onset of a powerful orgasm approaching.

As her hips started to buck, Reiji pulled away.

"Reiji..." she whimpered "Please..."

Reiji honestly wasn't trying to tease her. His body also burned with the desire for her touch, and he only wanted to share her pleasure.

Reiji unbuttoned his shirt, revealing his well-toned chest. He threw it into a corner along with his pants. He crawled on top of green haired lover, and stared into her lust filled eyes.

"Eren." he whispered "I love you."

With those words, he pushed his thriving member into the warmth of her womanhood.

With every thrust, Ein felt wave after wave of intense pleasure.

Deeper and deeper, Reiji pushed into the young girl.

Ein grasped onto him tightly as she felt herself nearing her second climax.

Reiji felt himself unable to hold back any longer. His love for her, combine with her intense heat, were too much.

With one final thrust, the two tightly held each other as the glow of their orgasm washed over them.

Breathless, they lay next to each other. Hand in hand, they felt the wonderful sensation of the afterglow of their lustful frenzy.

Ein turned her head toward the man she loved "Reiji..." she panted "Thank..."

Reiji silence her with a light kiss across her tender lips. Both ex phantoms were over taken with how perfect the moment was. Not even death could ruin happiness, and their deep rooted love and understanding. Within seconds, they fell asleep.

Cal lowered the barrel of her sniper as she wiped away the tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

'Damn it, Reiji...' she thought 'Just when I thought I actually had something in my life...someone to actually care for, you left me...'

Her heart was heavy with the pain only know to a Phantom. In her fragile state of mind, she was no longer able to see the difference between sadness and hate; instead all she felt was loneliness. Though she had gained the well-known title of Phantom of Inferno, known and feared by everyone, she still felt as if her life had no true meaning. She began to wonder what Reiji had so long ago, what is life when you need to kill to live?

"I...I what?" Hikaru said, astonished by what his employer had asked of him.

Itachi sat back in his chair "You heard me; I want you to assassinate Uzumaki Naruto."

The room was deathly silent. Sakura stood next to Hikaru in quiet protest. She remembered the time when they were in New York. During the short time they spent with the Hyuga girl and her phantom, she could tell that she had the same feelings for him as she did for Hikaru. She couldn't break up a bond like that.

"Okay." he huffed "I'll do it."

Itachi smirked at the expression on Hikaru's face. He knew this wasn't a mission he wanted to do, but he knew that his life depended on the completion of it. This was the first time he had ever been able to control the Phantom. Everything was working in his favor, and as long as he could keep the threat of ending Hikaru's life, things would continue that way.

To be continued...

Preview (Hikaru's perspective)

It's not like I knew him well, and it was bound to happen...this is my job...this is my life, if I don't go through with this, Inferno will have me killed, and if I do it and freeze up he will...I don't even want to think about that.

I'm truly sorry. From what I could tell, you were a really good guy...it's a shame I have to do this to you...Goodbye, Uzumaki Naruto...

Next chapter: Goodbye

Author's note: okay first off I'm sorry this chapter took so long to work in, and I do hope the next one won't take as long.

Now before I get any flames on this, yes I do admit that the Ein and Reiji scene started off quite awkward, but for those who are true fans of Phantom, you would know that that is just how Ein is. She can't express emotion well and isn't very talkative.

And ALSO before I get any flames on this, I know the ending was a bit rushed but I just needed to get them to where Naruto and Hinata were.

Don't worry, there will be a lot more drama, violence, and drama in the next chapter, AND EIN, ZWEI AND DREI ARE FINALLY IN THE STORY WITH THE NARUTO CHARACTERS! So the plot is thickening!

Story Note ( just a few fun facts about the chapter, you don't need to read this if you don't want to...but please do :3)

I decided to end the chapter this way because originally I had planned this scene where Sasuke had walked in on Sakura and Hikaru having sex and Hikaru would make a threesome joke and Sasuke comments on his stupidity and tells him that Itachi was waiting for them.

I figured this ending would fit the dramatic preview. So yeah :) to those who actually took time to read this, I thank you, and please please PLEASE comment telling me what you liked, what you didn't like, leave shout outs of how good it is, or comments on what to improve upon for later chapters and future stories.

;) but enough boring you, and I leave you with my usual

~Happy Murder~


	9. Goodbye

In the dim lit weapons storage chamber, the Phantom, and unofficial Phantom of the Uchiha sat in complete silence.

Hikaru sat on the floor, carefully loading bullet after bullet into the extended clip of his handgun while Sakura packed his sniper rifle. His feelings of this mission were completely mixed. He never before had to kill anyone he knew and generally took a liking to.

Sakura saw the uncertainty in Hikaru's emotionless facial expression. Whenever Hikaru was sent on a mission, he was usually over excited. The thrill of the hunt would over take his rational thought and he would be completely gung-ho to go off and do his job.

His uncertainty worried her. All she could think of was him not being able to pull the trigger when faced in front of Naruto. Losing him would be unbearable. He was all she had, and all she wanted. After he single handedly saved her from the life of desperation and uncertainty, he was what she lived for.

Hikaru sighed heavily sighed as he loaded the magazine into his weapon "I...I just don't know, Sakura...I don't know if I'll actually be able to kill him..."

Sakura gently placed her hand on top of his. The warmth that radiated from her delicate palm onto his comforted him. Her touch was always able calm him in times of uncertainty.

"I know how you feel, Hikaru. I don't want him to die either...but unfortunately, in our line of work...we need to do things we don't want..."

"I couldn't have said it better myself." the two assassins turned their attention to the their employer who stood at the frame of the door. Itachi was accompanied by three others. One was a tall man with long bluish grey hair, the other was a man who looked to be around Itachi's age, with pupils as white as his corneas, obviously a Hyuga. The last one was a young woman who looked no older than Sakura and Hikaru. The woman wore black pants with padding alongside both knees, matching boots, and a red biker jacket. The woman's eyes were emerald green. If one looked into them carefully, they could see the deep confusion and pain she held within her fragile heart. She nonchalantly played with the tip of her blond ponytail while the men continued their conversation.

"Hikaru, are you ready to carry out your mission?" He asked in his usual relaxed tone.

Hikaru drew in a deep breath, and brought himself to his feet. He used all of his might to muster up a half smile to try and feign confidence in front of his boss "Of course I am...I'm the great Phantom Hikaru Shibuya...I'm always ready to end a life.."

Cal snickered at his overt uncertainty. Everyone else could sense it as well.

"Well, I'm glad you feel that way because I'm adding one more part to your mission."

The room once again fell silent.

"As a show of respect to Mr. McGuire, and Inferno as a whole for so graciously accepting us, After Uzumaki Naruto's execution, you'll be responsible for assisting in the deaths of the renegade ex Phantoms of Inferno ."

"Assuming I don't kill them first." Cal snidely commented.

"Don't you think that's a bit too much to ask of your Phantom?" Neji asked. "Taking care of Naruto will be enough of a challenge, even for someone of Hikaru's level."

Itachi smirked "If I didn't know any better, Neji, I'd say you were doubting Hikaru's skill."

Neji shook his head "Not at all." he paused "But you must remember, from the day he could walk, Naruto was trained to kill. Hand to hand combat, light and heavy weaponry, Naruto has great experience with it all."

This information unsettled the already anxious Hikaru. The more he heard, the more he realized the chance of making it out of the battle was slim.

Itachi chuckled "Don't worry, Hikaru won't be going in alone." He pointed to the young woman standing next to McGuire "The third Phantom of Inferno, Drei, will be accompanying Hikaru."

Cal rolled her eyes "Just make sure you don't piss me off or get in my way. I don't exactly have the longest of fuses, and when it comes to piss ants like you, my trigger finger stays itchy."

With every word this girl spoke, Hikaru's temptation to draw his gun increased.

"So are you clear on the mission, Hikaru?" Itachi asked.

Hikaru bowed before his master "Yes, Lord Itachi Uchiha."

McGuire smirked "He's very well trained."

The three began to turn to exit their presence.

"Wait..." Sakura called out to them before they disappeared from the frame of the door.

"Shouldn't I be Hikaru's partner? After all, he's worked with me before and you know how well we are toge..."

"Yes, Sakura, I get it. You want to protect Hikaru, but an assassin of your level fails in comparison to Drei. Just leave Hikaru in her more than capable hands." With those last words, the trio took off.

Sakura tightly clenched her fists as the four walked away. She wanted to argue this decision, but she knew nothing she could say would make a difference.

Hikaru put his arm around Sakura's waist and brought her further into his embrace.

His warmth, the security she felt, even his rich scent brought her to tears. She hid her face in his shoulder while she poured every last hurt emotion out. No matter how much she wanted not to think it, she knew Hikaru had a great chance of dying, and in the event that he did, she wouldn't be there for him in his final moment.

Hikaru gently pulled away from his distraught cherry blossom. He wiped the tears from her cheek while he stared into her glassy red eyes. He leaned in and placed his lips upon hers. Their fingers entwined as they let their deep rooted love for each other express itself.

Though they've been together for over a year, Hikaru's kisses still made Sakura's stomach flutter. She loved the feeling of those butterflies, and prayed they would never go away, or more specifically, that he would never go away.

In the a small town in the heart of Detroit, The blonde assassin sat in the shop which held his potential freedom. Naruto waited silently alongside Hinata inside the rundown shop. The ex Hyuga heiress clung to his arm as she often did.

Throughout the silence, Naruto couldn't help but watch the two who stood just opposite them. He began to wonder what they could need in a place such as the one they were in. According to Ino, this rundown shop belonged to someone who could protect a runaway past as checkered as Naruto's.

The slow sound of footsteps broke his concentration. His eyes cut sharply in the direction where the footsteps were coming from. He saw a young man dressed in nothing but a faded green tee shirt, and black shorts. His hair was almost as messy as Naruto's, kept in a ponytail which stuck straight up. The young man loudly yawned as he slowly approached the front of the shop.

"Who are you guys?" he asked while he rubbed his eye.

"My name is Naruto Uzumaki." He spoke "Traveling with me is..."

"Oh yeah." He yawned "You must be the people Inoichi was talking about with my dad."

Hinata felt a sense of relief that Ino's contact was reliable. She didn't want to have to see Naruto murder another person on her behalf like he had so many times in the past.

"And what about you two?"

The woman with the short green hair stepped forward "I need to speak with Shikaku Nara." She frankly said. Her emotionless tone combined with the cold look within her eyes, sent a chill down the young man's spine.

"And what do you want with my father?"

"That is of no concern to you."

The young man's expression grew more annoyed with each passing second.

The green haired woman took a step toward the young man.

"Stop right their!" He reached in his side pocket and pulled out a six barrel revolver.

Hinata clenched her fingers tightly onto Naruto's sleeve as he pushed himself in from of her.

"I swear, if you even take one more step I'll..."

Within a spit second, his words were silenced by the sound of a firing gun, and a loud thud beside him on the floor. His eyes were immediately focused on the smoking barrel of her .44 magnum.

He felt a sharp pain coming from the same hand which he used to hold the revolver. Nervously, he looked down to see the extent of the damage in his shaking hands. To his slight relief, there was none.

His eyes stared into her cold gaze. He slightly cringed '...Who is this chick...and how the hell did she learn to aim so precisely?' This enigma plagued his mind every passing moment that his eyes stayed locked with hers.

"Now..." She calmly spoke "Tell me where Shikaku Nara is..." Just as she managed to finish her sentence, she felt the familiar feel of a steel barrel pressed against the back of her head.

"Drop your weapon...shit!" Naruto exclaimed when he realized he had been targeted by the young woman's partner.

If any one of them so much as moved, all that would follow would be guns bursting, bullets flying, and bodies dropping.

The tension grew thicker as each Phantom waited for the other to make their move. Their eyes stuck to their target.

"Isn't it a bit early for a Mexican standoff?"

The assassins looked over to the wall where they heard the voice. There stood a man with an eye patch, and hair styled in a similar fashion as the young man they first encountered. He removed the cigarette from between his lips and exhaled a cloud of smoke.

"If you're done trying to kill each other, I think I know why you're all here."

The three lowered their weapons and placed them back into their holsters.

The man directed his attention to the young blond and raven haired couple "So. You're the famous Naruto Uzumaki. I honestly never thought I'd find you looking for refuge, especially from the family you worked for your entire life."

"Dad..." the young man whimpered, "Those two..."

"You two must be Scythe's former puppets." Another cloud of smoke escaped his lips "I gotta say, I never thought I'd see you here."

The man deeply sighed "Alright. What do you all plan to do here?"

"What do you mean...?" Naruto asked with the ring of uncertainty plaguing his voice. "I thought you were going to shelter us..."

Shikaku flicked the ash from the tip of his cigarette as he chuckled at the young assassin "You don't honestly think I can hold all four of you here."

Naruto wanted to say something. He searched his mind for some magic words that would change Shikaku's mind, but nothing was found. He couldn't think of one reason why Shikaku had any reason to let them stay under his care and protection, or why they had any right.

Everyone in the room wore the same look of dejection. This was the one place they could go for refuge, but that option even ran out.

Ein kept her faded grey eyes fixed onto the floor "Reiji." she softly called out to her partner.

The boy with the unruly brown hair came by the girl's side.

"Let's go."

Her words, though softly spoken, had a great impact on those who heard. Naruto, Hinata, and Shikaku, Couldn't fathom any reason why she would willingly give up a chance at safety.

"I understand." Reiji said.

The two about faced, and slowly walked toward the exit.

"Wait." Shikaku called out to the couple. "I didn't mean you needed to leave. I just meant it's gonna be hard." He blew out another puff of smoke "I can't promise you that this will be a long term thing, so if I were you, I wouldn't get used to my protection."

He helped his son up from the floor "I need to think of the safety of both my son and myself first, if that's a problem with any of you, you can leave right now."

There were no objections from any of the four freedom seekers.

Shikaku smirked "Okay, I'll protect you for as long as I can. You'll find two rooms upstairs. They're a little cramped by I don't think you you'll will mind."

The four disregarded the man's attempt to poke fun at them, and made their way up the stairs.

Naruto laid his back on the full sized. His arm rested over his eyes to block the light from hitting his lids. It seemed like ages since he had a chance to breath easy. His constant missions combined with the stress of being hunted completely taxed him of all strength.

Hinata could only stare at the assassin she had grown so attached to. He looked to finally be at peace.

She crawled into bed next to him and rested her head on his well toned chest. She closed her eyes and breathed in Naruto's sweet aroma. The rhythmic beating of Naruto's strong heart, along with his breathing gave her the sensation only he was able to give her. The sensation that nothing was wrong, that their lives were not as chaotic as they truly thought, and that every fear or doubt she had would never come true.

"Hey...Naruto." She said almost in a whisper.

There was no response from him.

She giggled when she realized that he had fallen asleep. She couldn't blame him though, he had stayed awake for the past few days making sure that she would be safe.

When Hinata thought of it like that, it made her feel guilty for working Naruto that hard. She felt she was nothing more than a bother to him. If she wasn't so weak, Naruto wouldn't have to put himself in harms way to save her.

As the thought continued to spiral around in her head, she heard a knock on her door.

Before she could get up from the bed, the young woman with a stare colder than Neji's heart, entered.

Hinata fumbled for something to say, but nothing came to her. She couldn't think of anything to say to a murderer...at least one she wasn't a familiar with.

"I want to speak with you." She said in her high pitched monotone voice.

Hinata heart began to race and her breath became shorter "A...about w...what?" she stuttered.

"How much do you know about the organization Inferno."

The dreaded name of the horrible syndicate who was the cause of the lives of everyone she cared about being either ended or drastically changed, still was able to make her blood boil.

When she tried to think of all she knew about the organization, nothing came up.

"My knowledge is...very limited..." She honestly admitted. "All I know is that my being shot, the deaths of my father and sister, and my recent...living situation, are all because of them."

Ein smirked "So you know absolutely nothing about them."

Hinata felt all remaining confidence she had immediately disappear, but the woman was right. She knew nothing of real importance about this powerful organization. This would make even running from them a challenge.

"Inferno is an organization made up of multiple crime syndicates. Ever since they first emerged, they devoted their time to annexing the most powerful syndicates possible. All who oppose annexation, will be destroyed. That's how Inferno works."

Things began to make more sense to the young Hyuga. Her being shot wasn't an attempt on her life, it was a message to her father.

"But...why? Why was my sister murdered if I was the next to inherit the Hyuga family?"

"You were too big of a bargaining chip." she bluntly stated "If you were to die, then all chances of Hiashi Hyuga being persuaded to join would be gone."

Bargaining chips, that is how Inferno viewed the lives of Hinata and her sister. Nothing more than tools of persuasion.

Hinata once more cursed her weakness. If she had been stronger, if she hadn't taken Naruto's strength for granted and solely depended on him to be the savior of her and her family, she would never have been a tool to use. Instead of taking time to attempt to go into Naruto's world, the world of an assassin who possessed unmatched strength, she turned away from it. In her mind, this was her mistake, the reason for her weakness, as well as the reason these crimes against her family were allowed to happen.

"Reiji and I, the ex first and second Phantoms, where forced to kill for them. Each of us were brainwashed into forgetting our pasts. Our memories, even our names, we're taken from us...With no past to reflect on, and no future to look onto, we chose the path to survive..."

Her glazed over eyes gave away her true emotions. Her memories of being Inferno's phantom, still haunted her.

"Forgive me, I digress. I only told you that to say this, with you gone, Inferno has probably already merged with the Hyuga family."

Hinata clenched her pants legs "They have..."

Ein nodded and continued "And it is also more than likely that the Uchiha are also merged with Inferno. Seeing that your enemy is the entire country, what do you plan to do about it?"

Hinata lifted her head "What do you mean?"

"We can't stay here forever. When the time comes for us to leave, do you plan on running away, hoping to find another shelter? Or do you plan to fight?"

There was no doubt in the young woman's mind. Her pale eyes stared directly into Ein's as her courage began to build.

"I want to fight. I don't want to have to live life in fear. And I don't want to have to send those I love in harms way just because I'm too weak to do it myself."

Ein admired Hinata's passion. Her decision wasn't based off of hatred, or anger, or selfish motives. It was a decision to stand on her own two feet, and fight for the ones who had fought for her.

"Come with me." she said as she turned to exit the room.

Hinata apprehensively stood up from her seat on the bed "W-where are we going?"

"If I remember correctly, there is a weapons storage chamber in the basement."

"Are you...gonna train me to fight?"

Ein shook her head "No. It took me three months to properly train Reiji, and that was quick progress. I'm not exactly sure how much time I'll have to work with you, so I can't fully train you. However, I can teach you how to at least use a gun."

"Thank you...I'm sorry...I never learned your name."

"It's...Eren." Every time the name escaped her lips, a sensation of warmth entered her body. That name was more precious to her than anything because it was all that was truly hers; given to her by someone she deeply cherished.

Hikaru was handed a the folder that contained his mission by the arrogant Phantom of Inferno.

Without one word being spoken, he opened it and began to view its details. He was surprised to find that Inferno had already found the city the runaways had taken refuge. It was hard to believe all four were in the same one.

"How much ya wanna bet they're gonna meet up?" Hikaru asked jokingly.

"It doesn't matter." Cal spat "Cause if they do, I'll kill all three of 'em before them before they have a chance to fire back. Just make sure you can do the same."

Hikaru shot a glare at the cocky Phantom "And what exactly do you mean by that?"

Cap smirked "I heard you and that pink haired bitch talking. You said you were worried that you wouldn't be able to pull the trigger."

Hikaru's patients began to wear thin with the girl and the two had only just met "I never have any trouble pulling a trigger, not even on my partners."

"Is that a threat?" she narrowed her eyes.

Hikaru shrugged as he leaned back in his chair "More like a fact. And speaking of not being able to pull a trigger, I read your last mission report."

Cal angrily scraped her nails along the table.

"The great Phantom, Drei, couldn't stop two runaways when she had them at gunpoint by a silenced sniper rifle."

"They dogged the bullet. What do you expect? They were Phantoms too." she snidely remarked.

"True, but not even a Phantom could doge a bullet from something they can neither see nor hear. So I don't think they dogged the bullet, you just weren't able to fire it."

Cal bit her bottom lip. Hikaru was obviously too clever for his own good. She pulled out her pistol which she kept concealed in her inner jacket pocket, and placed the cool steel on Hikaru's forehead. "Now do you wanna see if I can pull the fucking trigger!"

Hikaru calmly smiled. "Be my guest."

Cal then noticed the barrel pressed underneath her bosom.

The two were in a standoff, waiting for either one to make the slightest movement.

"That's enough!" Itachi called out to them as he entered the room. "You two are teammates, you'd be of no use to anyone if you killed each other."

The two assassins, with clenched teeth, put their weapons back in their holsters.

Cal had only know Hikaru for a short while, but she could already tell she hated him with a burning passion. The two were too similar to, too bloodthirsty and vicious to balance each other out.

"I don't care if he is my teammate. If he so much as looks at me wrong, I'll blow his brains all over the fucking ground."

"My thoughts exactly." Hikaru said while reassuming his laid back position in his chair.

Itachi sighed. He began to wonder if this partnership was a mistake. Whether it be a mistake or not, it was necessary to gain favor with Inferno, as long as Hikaru, and Cal were able to keep a leveled heads.

Hikaru stood up, and walked toward the exit of the room.

"Where do you think you're going?" Itachi asked.

"Don't worry, boss." he dismissively waved his hand, "I just gotta see Sasuke about something really quick, I won't be long."

Sasuke heard a knocking on his bedroom door. He sluggishly made his way out of bed. He hated being disturbed when he was in the middle of sleeping.

The moment he put his hand on the knob, he thought 'I swear to god, if this is Hikaru with some stupid nonsense, I'm gonna punch him in the face.'

He turned the knob only to see Hikaru's innocent smiling face.

"Hey, Sasuke! Did I wake you?"

The young Uchiha balled his fist and tightly "Hikaru, you better have a really good explanation for waking me." He then waited for his stupid response.

He grinned "The night is still young, wanna go out for some ice cream and hookers? In my opinion that's the best combination..." Sasuke fist met the space between Hikaru's eyes.

"That was a little harsh, don't you think?" he said as he rubbed the new fist imprint on his face.

"Damn it, Hikaru! Either tell me the real reason you came here or let me go back to bed.

Hikaru's smile began to fade into a much darker grin, "I just wanted you to do me a favor." Hikaru's tone seemed to have no trace of humor in it. He was completely serious.

Sasuke loosened his fist as he started to worry about his old friend "Sure, what is it?"

Hikaru took a deep breath. This was nothing like the Hikaru Sasuke was used to. He wasn't laughing, smiling, or making a lovable fool out of himself.

"Listen, Sasuke...I'm about to go out on my next mission and...and there's a good chance I won't come back from it..."

"Don't worry, I'm sure you will." Sasuke calmly said "You can take Naruto no problem, and you'll make it back just like all the other missions."

Though he put up a convincing front, Hikaru saw through it. Sasuke, was worried for his murderous companion . The bond those two shared was like two brothers; they annoyed the hell out of each other, mostly Hikaru, but they couldn't live without each other.

"I really hope you're right, Sasuke..."

"I am right. You're the craziest bastard with a gun that I know. There's no way you'll bite it out there."

Hikaru smirked "But in the event that you're wrong, I want you to give this letter Sakura for me." Hikaru placed a small envelope in Sasuke's hand.

The Uchiha assassin turned his back and began to walk away "I will...but you better make sure you come back alive. You here me?"

He smirked and once again faced Sasuke "Also, do yourself a favor and find a girl who you want for more than just sex. Trust me, you'll be much happier."

With that, Hikaru merely waved, what was possibly, his final farewell to Sasuke before setting off on his mission.

Ein led Hinata into the back room on the downstairs floor. The room was completely empty besides a tattered and worn out couch that was placed carelessly in the middle of the room.

The assassin moved the couch from over the floorboard it covered. This floorboard was slightly placed out of line with all the others. This would go unnoticed to the untrained eye, and even if it was noticed, no one would really give it any mind.

Ein lifted the eschewed floorboard. Underneath it, was a narrow stairwell. She and Hinata began to walk down the winding stairwell into the pitch black basement.

"This is it." Ein said as the two women reached the cement floor at the bottom of the steps. There was only, what looked like, a wall that stood before them.

Before Hinata could question what Ein had meant, she say the figure of the woman putting her arms against the wall.

Ein's fingers fell into the grooves placed along the wall like she had done when she was taken for training there. placed within the groove her index finger fell into, was a button. The moment she pressed down upon it, they could hear the gears of the wall in front of them, begin to turn as it slowly slid open. The farther it slid, the more a dim light from the other side shown through.

"This door was placed here as a barrier." Ein stated while the crevice began to increase size "No light, or sound can escape it."

Hinata was astounded by the thoroughness of Shikaku's design. This truly was a safe haven for runaways.

Hinata and Ein walked into the large training area. Mounted on the walls were a variety of firearms ranging from handguns, to sniper rifles. Alongside the firearms, was a wall of ammunition. Adjacent to the weapon wall, there were booths set up for target practice. Fresh targets were set up in each one.

The sight of all the weapons made Hinata slightly uncomfortable. Though she was used to the sight and sound of them, she had never held one before.

Ein handed Hinata and eight barrel revolver, a handgun she had become quite accustomed to.

Hinata slowly grasped the cool steel. The weight bore down on her fragile hands. She closely examined the firearm 'This is what Naruto holds almost everyday...' she thought. Holding the weapon made her feel closer to the one she loved.

She followed Ein to the shooting range. Hinata looked at the paper diagram with target markers of all lethal impact zones. The human like diagram was somewhat unsettling for her. The thought of killing anything, made her cringe. She was too much of a gentle soul for being anything resembling a killer, but she knew for Naruto's sake, she would need to harden her heart.

"Look through the notch in the back, that is where you'll aim." Ein sternly instructed as she correctly positioned Hinata's arms "Hold your right arm straight, and keep your left at a bend. Make sure to focus your energy on your hands and not your arms."

Hinata did exactly as she was told. She held the cool steel steadily in her palms and looked through the notch above the revolver's cocked hammer.

"Now, visualize your target, and fire."

The first shot was fired at the target placed on the head of the diagram. Hinata's hands began to tremble as they painfully throbbed. The powerful kickback of the revolver was somewhat overwhelming for the first time handling a gun.

"Don't let the gun's power interfere with your control of it." she pointed to the target which was narrowly missed "Stay calm. Focus your energy in your hands when firing, but concentrate your strength in your arms after the trigger is pulled. Lastly, don't stop. Fire until it's empty."

Hinata aimed her weapon at the target once more. She slowed her breathing pace, and allowed herself to cut off all other sights, sounds, and distractions. All that existed within her mind was the target, the gun, and the bullets eager to bridge the berth between the two. She pulled the trigger, and just as the ex phantom instructed, her arms absorbed the shock delivered from the weapon's kickback. Without missing one single beat, the remaining seven bullets were fired in the target zone.

"Now, try to aim for the center." Ein said as she reached to pry to revolver from the fragile woman's hands. In order to cut off and ignore the pain, Hinata's hands had gripped the handle so tightly, her hands had slices across the palms.

Reiji heard a knock on his door. He was grateful to hear something to distract him from his own thoughts. Being left alone to analyze, and reanalyze every aspect of his life and future only made him worry even more than he originally had been.

He pushed himself up from his bed, and went to answer the door.

On the other side stood Naruto. His expression matched the one both Reiji and Ein wore daily. The expression of brokenness only known to someone who has had the misfortune to live life through the deaths of others. Homicide after homicide left them hollow, and searching for something to fill a gaping void. Much like Hinata and Naruto, if it wasn't for Eren, his precious Eren, he would feel as empty as he did when he still worked for Inferno.

"I wanted to talk with you about something." Naruto frankly stated as he walked into the ex phantom's room. "I want to know about Inferno, but more importantly, I wanna know what we're gonna be facing."

Reiji could sense the fear in Naruto's movements. He knew that he was facing something much bigger than the Hyuga, and feared for his life and the life of his counterpart.

He stood opposite Naruto and leaned his back against as their cold gazes met "Inferno is an organization that doesn't take no for an answer, as you've already experienced." Naruto was once again reminded of Hinata's encounter with the masked assailant.

"Their Phantoms always are made to be stronger than any other family's. So the title 'Phantom of Inferno', is synonymous with death." Naruto bit down on his lip with every word that came from the ex Phantom. He began to doubt his ability to protect Hinata from the oncoming danger that was fast approaching them.

Reiji continued "They treat runaways no differently than a target. They'll send their Phantom after us."

"And what exactly is their Phantom like?" Naruto further inquired "Exactly how good are they?"

Reiji closed his eyes and sighed as he was reminded of the ghost from his past; the person he unknowingly abandoned "She's ruthless. She's the type of predator that enjoys toying with its prey. The only ones who've been able to barely avoid being her victims so far are Eren and me."

The situation was starting to look more hopeless than it already was. It was as Reiji said, there was no escape from Inferno's grasp.

Naruto reaffirmed his faith in his abilities. Hope was one thing be couldn't let go of. He had something that the assassin coming for them did not, a reason to fight, as well as a reason to live. He wouldn't allow Hinata to be hurt anymore by this organization.

"One more question..."

Naruto paused as he thought of the correct way to ask such a question. "What are you fighting for? What is your reason for trying to stay alive?"

"Why do you ask?" Reiji had asked himself this question many times when he was still in the grasp of Claudia McCunnen. At that point in his life, his only reason for existing, was to end the lives of others. This was something he had hated about himself. He had contemplated suicide many times, knowing that through his death, many lives would be spared.

Unlike Reiji, Naruto had no reservations or objections about his job. Anything that he had to do to stay by Hinata's side, he was more than willing to do.

"I ask because fighting just to stay alive, just so you can breath another breath for the sake of breathing...it just doesn't seem like something that would drive someone to risk their lives for."

Reiji nodded, he was in complete agreement. The only reason he became one of Scythe Master's puppets, was to continue living a meaningless existence. Only when he continued his life as a Phantom, did he realize what truly drove him.

"Eren." he said "I fight so that I can give her the life she deserves. A life of peace where no blood needs to be shed...that's my reason for fighting."

Naruto nodded. He could empathize with Reiji. He too had someone who made his life worth living that he would do anything for.

"This is the last question, then I won't bother you anymore."

Reiji adorned his face with his broken smile "You're not bothering me at all." He stretched his arms and laid back on his bed "Besides Eren, there's no one I'm ever able to talk to that actually understands me. This is actually a nice change in pace."

Naruto chuckled as he nervously rubbed the back "I just figured...ya know...you wouldn't want to see me after we held each other at gunpoint this morning."

Reiji joined in on Naruto's laughter "I guess you have a point, that is sort of an awkward greeting."

The two young men were truly enjoying their time together. Naruto was never allowed the opportunity to make many friends, or even talk to people outside of the Hyuga family. This moment he was sharing with Reiji was very comforting to say the least.

"So what was your question?"

The sense of happiness once again was stripped from the blond assassin as he was once again reminded of the reality he lived in.

"...Do you think we'll be able to survive?"

Reiji sighed "I don't know...I really hope we can though.

Hinata threw herself onto her bed. Her hands were bruised and bandaged, but to her, being able to having this ability, no matter how small it was, was worth every scratch on her palm and the pain in her arms.

She closed her eyes and allowed her mind to drift off into the past. Her mind was filled with visions of the past so vivid it felt like she was reliving them.

(Flashback)

Hinata looked out her window at her father's garden filled with various exotic and beautiful flowers. She rested her head on her arms as the feeling of depression and disappointment ate at her fragile heart. It was her twelfth birthday, and no one had seemed to remember. Her father nor Neji made any attempt at even giving her a half hearted wish for a happy birthday. Not even the servants said those simple words to her. It was no different than any other day to them.

A knocking on the door broke her from her fixation on the flowerbed. Before she could open the door, an overly excited Naruto ran in the room and took Hinata into his right embrace. "Happy birthday, Hinata!" he cheered as he tightly squeezed her. When her bodyguard released her, her cheeks were flushed red. Over the short amount of time that he had been living in the Hyuga mansion, she had developed an attraction to him. Everything from his jovial laugh, his innocent and unbroken smile, as well as his unwavering courage drew her to him.

"I have something for you!" He presented to her a bouquet of flowers. She recognized them from her father's garden "I noticed you're always looking at them, so I thought you'd like them."

He was right. She had always wanted at least one of flowers from the garden, but her father said that anyone besides the house staff was forbidden from even touching them.

She graciously accepted them "Thank you so much, Naruto..." she hid her face behind the flowers as she felt her redness increasing. The sweet scent of the flowers was even sweeter than she remembered because Naruto had cared enough to get them for her. "How did you talk Father into letting you take these?"

Naruto nervously rubbed the back of his head "Heh., about that..."

They heard footsteps fast approaching "Naruto, you little bastard! When I get my hands on you I'm gonna teach you the true meaning of discipline!" Hiashi yelled.

"Gotta go." Before taking his leave, he gently kissed Hinata's rosy cheek, and fled out of the room.

It took all of the bewildered girl's concentration to keep from fainting after her encounter with the boy whom she held to dear to her.

Hinata brought her fingers to her lips as the memory of the first kiss she shared with Naruto flooded her mind.

(Flashback)

The young Hyuga heiress wearily awoke to the sound of a light tapping on her door. Leaving the comfort and warmth of her covers in the frigid night sir was not something she particularly had any interest in doing, but her kind nature couldn't deny anyone who sought her company.

She sluggishly removed her chrysalis of covers, stepped onto the chilled wood. Slowly and wearily, she made her way to the only thing that stood between her, and the person who desperately wanted to speak with her at such a late hour.

She turned the knob, and let the dim light from the hallway enter her room. Naruto leaned his back against Hinata's door frame as he usually did while waiting for her.

"Naruto, What's the matter?" she asked in a sweet whisper.

She knew something had to be wrong with the young assassin she had become so fond of. His trademark confident grin that he always seemed to wear when around her, was replaced by a disconcerting look of fear and uncertainty.

"Naruto..." she addressed his once more, with her voice beginning to waver.

"I...I'm sorry for waking you up so late..." He made no attempt at eye contact with the Hyuga heiress "I just came to say goodbye..."

"...What do you mean goodbye?" his vague farewell struck only more fear into the young girl's heart.

"I've been given an assignment to assassinate Zabuza Momochi and his partner Haku..."

These names weren't unfamiliar to Hinata. She knew these two men were responsible for the deaths of many high ranking members Hyuga. Every assassin sent after them had been viciously murdered, and returned to the doorstep of whoever sent them.

"If I succeed, I'll be the official Phantom of the Hyuga."

His clearly forced smile brought to her pale eyes.

"But...just in case I don't come back..."

"Naruto...please don't go..." she managed to say while barely managing to choke back her tears. Because of her family ties, not many children her age were allowed near her. Naruto was the only person she could confide in. Even the idea of losing him was unbearable.

"I have to. I just wanted to say..."

"No, Naruto..." she clasped onto his hand "I can't lose y..."

Before she could finish, the berth between them was filled as his lips met hers for the first time. Though it caught her off guard, this intense affectionate bond was more than welcome to her. Her heart fluttered with every second that passed. She lost her grip of his hand as her mind was thoroughly distracted.

To her dismay, Naruto pulled away, and ended what could possibly be the last sweet moment they would share.

"I just wanted to say...I love you...you're the only reason why I'm able to be here today. If I don't make it back...I just wanted you to know how I felt about you."

With those final words, Naruto steadily made his way down the hall of the Hyuga mansion. The longer Hinata watched him, he looked like a prisoner walking to meet his execution. She wanted to stop him, she wanted to say something that would pull Naruto away from this suicide mission, but nothing came to mind. All she knew was that if he didn't come back, if something went wrong and he ended up on their doorstep like the assassins before him, she would take her own life.

(End Flashback)

Hinata looked to the door as she heard the sound of the knob beginning to turn. She couldn't help but smile when she saw Naruto walk in. Her nostalgic bliss from the memories of all he did for her, only made her love and appreciate him more than she already had.

She stood up from their bed and took him into her loving embrace. Though it had only been a few hours, she had longed to see him, and feel his body against hers once more.

Naruto smiled and returned her embrace "I'm glad to see you too Hinata." he laughed.

Hinata's happiness usually did come from seeing Naruto, but this time it was more than that. The reason for her happiness was that she finally felt of use to him. She now felt that she could bear the great weight that had been placed on Naruto's shoulders.

She gently nuzzled her head onto his chest. No matter how many times she felt it, she loved the sensation. His warmth, his scent, and the sound of his beating heart were the only things that could truly make her feel safe.

Naruto pulled Hinata slightly away, and connected the berth between his lips and hers. With all that he had heard from Reiji about their possible future, Hinata's soft lips gently meeting his, was all he needed to clear his mind of all unpleasant thought. Once again, they felt as if all time had stopped, and they were the only two left in the world. For all they cared, they were. All they wanted was each other.

Naruto moved his lips from hers, to her neck causing her to clasp onto the fabric of his clothing even harder.

"What is your wish, my Lady?" He huskily whispered into her ear. His hot breath down her neck sent a chill though her spine. She could feel her body beginning to heat up. All she wanted was Naruto. She wanted him to ravish her and satisfy her ever growing list and desire.

"...me..."

She gasped as Naruto gently caressed the vein on her neck with his tongue "Please, my Lady, if you don't speak louder, then I won't be able to please you." He began to slowly back away from her, releasing his grip he had around her waist. As she felt the distance between them increasing, she immediately moved in close. "Take me, Naruto..." she pleaded, fighting through her embarrassment "I'm yours...do what you want to me..."

He looked into her crystalline, pale eyes. Her face was completely flushed. He always loved it when she was like this, using her innocence to cover up her hidden lust.

He swiftly laid her back onto the bed "As you wish."

He slid his hand down into the waistline of her panties while his other hand unzipped her jacket. Hinata's breath drew more shallow as he caressed the sensitive flesh above her moist womanhood.

The moment the tip of his finger ran over her damp nub, her back violently arched as her hips uncontrollably have few quick pace bucks against Naruto's fingers.

He smirked. She was literally melting into the palm of his hand, something he could only do to her. Their lips once again met. Hinata thrusted her tongue into Naruto's mouth as she felt her first orgasm fast approaching. The ex Hyuga heiress moaned into his mouth with every stroke he gave. Naruto slid his fingers down to her moist entrance. In a slow circular motion, he began to east the tips of two fingers inside.

Through their passionate kiss, he heard whines of disappointment.

'Don't you worry, my Princess.' he thought as their tongues swirled in each other's mouths, each fighting for dominance, 'I'll grant you exactly what you desire.' With no restraint, he plunged his two finger in as deeply as he possibly could. Hinata's head quickly jerked back to release her cries of pleasure. He continued to pump his fingers into her, curling his fingertips to hit her most sensitive spots.

"Narut-ahh!" She cried out as she felt her first climax wash over her. It had been so long since the two had any chance to have an intimate moment like this, that Hinata almost forgot exactly how pleasurable it was.

He watched as she lay on her back, gasping for air as she let the sense of euphoria wash over her body. A light formed in the center of her cheeks, something that often happened to her when she was in Naruto's presence.

Naruto was completely me mesmerized by her beauty. Her look of innocence no matter what the situation, was something that always attracted him to her. He took her hand into his. With one swift stroke of his fingertips across her palm, he noticed something, something that didn't belong on her delicate hands. A series of bruises and small cuts we're scattered across the center of her palm. Even with his lightest touch, he saw Hinata cringe.

"Hinata...what happened?"

She placed her other hand atop his, the same small cuts and bruises could be felt. She warmly smiled trying to calm him "Ein showed me how to handle a gun today."

Hearing her say that only unsettled him more. He always did everything he could to keep her out of danger, and hearing her talking about handling dangerous weapons made him worry for her.

"Isn't it great, Naruto?" she leaned upward "I can finally be useful to you..." He could see the sadness behind her smile. He knew about Hinata's inferiority complex, but he always tried to do everything he could to show her that there was no reason to think of herself as anything less than great.

"Hinata..."

"I won't get in your way like I usually do...I won't be a burden anym..." Naruto quickly silenced her with a kiss. He couldn't stand to hear anyone talk down about her, especially if it was from her. They broke away from each other. Hinata was completely dazed. The bewildering effects of his kiss were always able to catch her off guard.

"Hinata, why would you say such horrible things about yourself?"

She was at a complete loss for words. She could tell that what she said had deeply upset him, but she couldn't help it. No matter how much Naruto disagreed, she still felt that she caused him nothing but trouble.

"...Because I'm a coward...if I was stronger, if I was able to stop Neji before he betrayed our family, you wouldn't have to be out here risking your life to protect me."

Naruto wiped away the tears that began to form in the corners of Hinata's eyes.

"Why do you always forget that the reason I'm alive is because of you?" He steadily laid her on her back as the distance between their lips was slowly closed. "You saved my life, the least I can do is serve you any way you want."

Naruto guided his hand from her waist to the flat surface of her smooth stomach.

His fingers gliding across her sent a shiver through her spine. Naruto kissed Hinata's collarbone, and continued downward. Before he reached below her navel, he felt her hand grab onto his head, stopping him from moving any farther.

"Naruto...please stop..."

Naruto heart nervously fluttered 'What the hell was I thinking!' he inwardly cursed himself 'Why would I do that to her when she clearly wasn't in the mood anymore?'

"H-hinata..." he stammered "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have..."

"Please..." She cut him off as she moved from under him "This time...let me serve you..." Before he had a chance to respond, Hinata began to undo Naruto's belt buckle.

Though relieved that she wasn't angry with him, he was no less shocked that Hinata, his shy and soft spoken Hinata, would offer to do something like this for him.

Hinata blushed the moment she saw the tent in Naruto's boxer shorts. She removed the last barrier keeping her from her lover. Carefully, she grasped onto his stiff member. She began to run her fingers along the length of it; she felt the heat that radiated from it, she could tell that Naruto desperately needed to be relieved.

Nervously, she moved her lips closer to her lover's most sensitive area.

"Hinata, you don't need to do this."

She just shook her head "I want to."

She began to lick the tip, and slowly moved down the length of the shaft. With every swift lick, Naruto bit down onto his bottom lip. The sensation of her tongue teasing him along with her fingers was driving him closer to the edge.

Hinata could tell Naruto was completely taken by the sensation. The lustful look on his face brought a sense of happiness to her, she was finally able to give him the pleasure she had denied him for so long.

Hinata opened her mouth, and took him in. She quickly began bobbing her head as she used her hand to stroke the base.

Naruto lay on his back. The sensation of her soft tongue swiftly swirling around his member left him so taken, he could hardly speak. All that escaped his mouth were pants and moans of reassurance of his pleasure.

"Hinata..." He managed to force out "I...I'm..."

She knew what he was trying to tell her. She began to quicken her tongue's pace, and sucked with more intensity. Naruto grabbed the bed sheets as he felt his climax approaching. With one final tongue stroke, Naruto released himself into the ex Hyuga heiress's mouth.

Hinata refused to let one drop of the precious fluid escape her lips. Every burst was more than happily swallowed.

"Hinata..." Naruto breathlessly panted "That was...amazing..."

She smiled and laid beside him. "I'm glad you enjoyed it." she purred as she rested her head on his chest. Naruto wrapped his arm around her as he let the after glow of his orgasm wash over him.

Hinata felt his grip tighten around her "Naruto?"

Naruto began to huskily laugh "You got to serve me, but I got to finish this." he roughly laid her onto her back. They stared into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. Hinata was more than ready for what Naruto had in mind. She had longed for him since the day they had first become one.

"Take me, Naruto." she whispered into his ear "I'm yours."

Hikaru and Cal dropped their light luggage onto the floor of the cramped, one bed motel room. The room smelled of cheap alcohol and smoke. There were cigarette burns on the sheets that covered the twin sized mattress. The sheets were covered in a dried liquid substance that look less than pleasant to sleep on.

"You know if you try to get in this bed, you're getting a bullet in the gut, right?" Cal could feel the mattress sink the moment she sat on it. The bed was obviously old and the material was starting to fail the test against time.

Hikaru chuckled as he removed several items from his bad onto the floor "Aww, and here I thought we were gonna cuddle with each other while we sing ourselves to sleep."

Cal hated the cocky smile he always seemed to wear. He always seemed to have a sense of undeserved happiness about him.

"But," Hikaru began to talk seriously "I think we should go over how we're gonna take care of this mission. I mean, We've already made it to the city, and we're not that far from where Itachi said out target's would be. The only thing we need to figure out, is how to approach them."

Cal smirked as if what Hikaru had suggested was the most absurd thing that she had heard "I already have a plan, I'm gonna blow all of them to kingdom fucking come."

"Be serious." Cal cut her eyes at the other assassin.

"How dare you speak to me like that!" Cal grabbed Hikaru by the collar of his shirt, and lifted him from the ground "I'm the fucking Phantom of Inferno, the greatest fucking assassin in the entire underground!"

Hikaru's unchanging stolid expression infuriated her. He was unlike anyone she had ever encountered; he was the one person she couldn't intimidate. Ever since she learned the art of assassination, fear was her muse, the one thing that made her feel powerful.

"If your plan is really to shoot without thinking, then you're obviously just a Phantom by title only."

Cal gritted her teeth with every word that came from his mouth "You..."

"If you even bothered to read the information gathered on them, you'd know Naruto is especially strong in mid to long range combat. Guns, throwing weapons, all are his forte. And even in short range combats his reaction time is extremely quick. Both Zwei and Ein are extremely well rounded in every range of combat, but their reaction time lags whenever the range suddenly changes. If we want to have any chance of defeating them, we'll need to carefully plan this out.

Cal reluctantly released him from her grip. Although she hated to admit it, Hikaru was right. Rushing into a battle with the low grade assassins she was used to fighting was perfectly fine, but this was a different situation completely. These were three highly trained killers, two of which were trained by the same person who trained her.

Though she knew this mission would need control, she couldn't stand the thought of hesitating. She tightly balled her fists, the overwhelming feeling of burning animosity she felt whenever Reiji's face appeared in her mind was almost enough to make her sick. The only reason she had put herself though all of her training, was so that she could repay all the pain he had given her.

Hikaru smirked once again "But before we get down to business," Hikaru reached into his bag, and pulled out a bottle of whiskey "I figured we could get to know each other a little better."

"And what the fuck makes you think I want to tell you anything about myself?" She spat.

Hikaru only laughed at her crass retort. He handed her a glass and began to pour "Strengths, weaknesses, we need to know these things before we even try to team up."

Cal turned away as she began to greedily chug the liquor down her throat.

"Why don't we start with the reason why you couldn't pull the trigger on the two runaway Phantom's when you had the chance?"

Cal's temptation to blast the smirk off of Hikaru's face grew with every passing second "They moved out of the way at the last minute. It wasn't my fault."

Hikaru took a sip of his glass as Cal refilled hers "You and I both know that's bullshit."

The blonde assassin's grip angrily tightened around the bottle.

"You expect me to believe that two people who couldn't see or hear you, managed to escape you? C'mon, what was the real reason?"

"Do you want me to crack this fucking bottle on your head!"

Hikaru's wheezy laugh didn't help his chances of escaping Cal's threat "You put on an extremely tough front. I'll bet that you're one of those people who was always getting picked on and the moment you got some type of power, you use it to make people think you're strong."

"...shut up..."

"You think that by threatening and people, you're showing them you're some force no one can fuck with, when in reality, you're the same little weakling you were all those years back."

"Wanna see how fucking weak I am!" She quickly pulled out her pistol, and gruffly pressed it into the center of her partner's forehead. Hikaru noticed her finger beginning to quiver over the trigger. He inwardly laughed, he had laced his whiskey with a potent impairing drug which was obviously taking affect. He did this so that no matter how much the two argued, or how much they felt the urge to kill each other, they wouldn't be able to.

"Was it sympathy? You felt so bad for them that you couldn't bare tear them away from the same freedom you wanted? Or," He moved the barrel out of his face with his fingertip as he wore a contemptuous grin on his face "Was it a sweeter emotion? Carry a little torch for that Zwei guy?"

Cal's eyes quickly shut "Shut up..."

Hikaru knew he had struck a nerve as well as the problem's root "Poor girl. You couldn't end the life of your lover even after he fucked you and left."

"Shut up!"

He was surprised that happened to be true. He was only letting his vibrato talk for him, the things he'd say weren't usually anywhere close to accurate.

"And now, even though all that happened, your weakness is getting the better of you. Face it, you're the same cowardly little girl you've always been."

"SHUT UP! What the fuck would you know anyway! You never had to deal with half the shit I had to deal with! You never had to deal with a piece of shit father who beat you whenever he would drink! You never had to watch the only family you had die right in front of your eyes!" Cal felt herself beginning to lose her control over her emotions as she felt her eyelids dampening with her own tears "And you never were betrayed by the one person you actually loved and trusted..." She wiped her eyes "So until you go through all of that, don't act like you know me..."

Cal took another large gulp of her drink, finally feeling the alcohol get a little top strong.

"Just so you know, you're not the only one who's had a tough life. Let's just say that becoming a murderer was the only way I could get away from my pathetic coke-head mother who was more worried about getting her next fix, than taking care of her son."

She saw the sadness and disdain Hikaru had in his eyes when he brought this memory up. She began to see he wasn't just talking out of his ass like he had done from the moment they met.

"The only people I actually have are Sasuke and Sakura." He took a quick swig of the laced alcohol "Sure, I'm more than grateful for them, but every time I go out on a dangerous mission, I can't help but think 'I might not see them again'. Yeah, we both have fucked up lives, and sometimes it feels like we're just living to breath our next breath, but having one sweet moment, having one person to care for, no matter how short the time was, makes life all worth living."

Cal looked with slight astonishment as the profound message that just spouted out of the hot headed assassin.

"Damn..." Hikaru stared at his half full glass, taken aback by his own wise speech "This is some good shit..."

The two finished the rest of the bottle silence. Though emotions were high, the release felt extremely welcomed. Both assassins felt as if they relieved some of the stress that would have distracted them on their mission.

Daylight priced through the curtains. Naruto reluctantly opened his eyes to take in the sun's bright rays. Hinata lay beside him, still in deep sleep. The sunlight illuminated her flawless alabaster skin, even in her sleep with her hair a mess, she still looked stunningly beautiful to him.

He stepped out of the bed, and began to get dressed, also laying out her clothes for when she decided to wake up. Though they had just arrived at the safe house, and though their life seemed to finally reach a point where they could walk without fear of being murdered by Inferno, The Uchiha, or even the Hyuga, it was only a false reality. With Inferno's connections, there was no way for them to hide even in the most remote of places. The only way to escape their twisted fate, was to bring down all three organizations which was more than highly unlikely. Though the odds were stacked against them, Naruto would do anything to protect Hinata, even if it meant giving up his own life.

He made his way down the stairs. As long as they were in no immediate danger of being killed, he wanted to have one walk to clear his mind. Clear it of all the murder and bloodshed; just one break from reality.

The streets were as crowded as anyone would expect a city street to be. The cacophony of horns from the morning traffic along with the chatter form the people on the street filled the morning air. Naruto envied the carefree way these people We're able to live their lives. Though they had their hardships, they never had to walk down the street with a gun strapped on them fearing someone would end their life at any moment.

Naruto waited at the crosswalk, his vision glazed over as he blankly glanced at the sea of faces across the street.

"Nice day for a walk," Through the corner of his eye, he hardly noticed the young man who engaged in a conversation with him. "Isn't it? Naruto." the you g man smirked as his tone darkened.

He recognized the voice. Naruto's eyes immediately darted to the figure that stood next to him. The moment his eyes locked with the young man, his heart sank into the depths of his stomach.

The young man's piercing orange eyes, spiky black and white hair, and cocky yet sinister grin were all unmistakable.

"H-Hikaru..." Naruto nervously choked out.

Hikaru's wheezy laugh made the blonde assassin slightly cringe "I'm glad to see you haven't forgotten me after all this time apart."

"What are you doing here..." These were the only words he could think to say. He already had a feeling of what Hikaru was doing in the same small town as two Inferno escapees and Hyuga runaways.

"Who so nervous?" He playfully smiled "I only came to check on you, you know, see of you were okay. How's your heart? Still got that beating problem?" Naruto slightly inched back as Hikaru extended his hand toward him

"Why don't I help you with that?"

Before his fingers made contact with the fabric of his jacket, Naruto turned and began to run. Hikaru shook his head "Oh Naruto, you should know I live for the thrill of the chase."

Naruto pushed past the crowd of oncoming sidewalk traffic. He slowly, but steadily was making his through the crowd, constantly looking over his shoulder only to see Hikaru only a few steps behind each time. With the option to escape gone, Naruto knew he needed a plan, and quickly.

He began to reach for his berretta hidden in his jacket pocket. Before he was able to unzip it, he felt someone forcefully grab his arm. He jerked back, only to meet the Hikaru's cold gaze once more.

"Don't even think about it." Hikaru firmly said "You set something like that off in a crowd like this, it'll only start a mass panic." Naruto knew Hikaru was right, it was actually his plan to cause a mass hysteria to provide enough cover to escape back to the house. "Even if you did cause a panic, it's not like you'd make it back to Shikaku Nara's house before I call my partner." Naruto's eyes cut at Hikaru's threat. If you're really such a badass Phantom, come meet me face to face, like a man." Unacceptable, he couldn't pander to the whims of another assassin, especially one on assignment to kill him.

Hikaru tightened his grip of Naruto's arm when he felt his body tense up.

"I wouldn't do that II I were you." Hikaru taunted "My partner is only one phone call away, and I'm sure she'd love to pay a visit to Shikaku Nara's house and meet his...special guests." he slyly smirked.

With no other options, he let Hikaru step in front of him, and lead him to his possible death. Along the way, he tried to make sense of the situation. Why would Hikaru confront Naruto face to face when he was more than capable of a stealthy kill? Why wouldn't he already have called his partner to exterminate the guests in the Nara house? And why would he lead him to a secluded area just to kill him? Naruto knew the type of killer Hikaru was. Whether in broad daylight, or the shroud of nightshade, he would kill his target without mercy. What made Naruto so special that he would avoid a scene in public, unless his goal wasn't to kill him.

Hikaru led Naruto into a dark and secluded alleyway. The scent of trash and cat urine forcefully struck his nostrils on entrance.

"Well?" Naruto firmly scoffed "I'm here, what did you want from me?"

His devilish smirk and insidious grin was almost enough to intimidate Naruto.

"I only came to give you a warning. If you value your life and the life of your girlfriend, clear out of that house before sunset. My partner and I will be showing up there no later than 9:00."

Naruto skeptically looked at Hikaru "Why are you telling me this? If you're supposed to kill me, why even bother trying to warn me about your attack?"

Hikaru smugly laughed as he began to walk away from his future target "I already told you. I enjoy the thrill of the hunt, and ending your life in some ambush is a waste of my time."

His echoing footsteps faded as he walked outside of their secluded meeting place.

Naruto shared his newfound information with the current six residence of the Nara house. Through gritted teeth, and torn souls, the information was accepted. The only thing they knew they could do, was plan an escape and avoid confrontation as they had for so long.

Shikaku reached in his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette. As the rolled paper made contact with his lips, he lit the tip, and exhaled a cloud of smoke through his nostrils "I can't say I'm surprised, by the attack at least." he said in an calm tone "I've been running this operation for years, racked up some nice cash from the Yamanaka's for doin it, but I guess all good things come to an end."

His front was tough, but the others could tell he was a worried as they were. Unlike them, he was not a trained killer, and he had a son to protect. These two facts seriously handicapped the stolid man, and he knew that all too well.

He reached within his pants pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper, and dropped it onto the table "This is a map." he addressed the four runaways that had taken refuge in his house "Follow it. It'll lead you to one of my contacts who's a pilot. I made arrangements with him to take you guys out of the country in four days, I'll just tell him there's been a change in plans."

Naruto hesitantly reached for the paper. He didn't feel right about leaving the person who had risked so much to hide them from their attackers.

"What the hell's the matter with you, kid? Take the damn map." he gruffly said as he puffed another cloud of smoke.

"Are you sure there's nothing we can do to repay you?"

Shikaku shook his head with a smirk "Kid, don't be stupid. If you all live, that's payment enough."

Though Ein and Reiji were somewhat skeptical of the man's benevolence, he had plenty of opportunities to do something to screw them over, so there would be no point in doing it now.

"Oh yeah, before you go, I heard some news that I think you'll find a bit comforting. Word on the street is, the Hyuga family isn't too stable. There's a big divide between Hiashi loyals, who want Hinata to be the successor, and the Neji loyals who like things the way they are. Needless to say, the Hiashi loyals are the majority. Some have even tried to assassinate Neji."

Hinata could hardly believe what she was hearing. In the time she had been separated with her comfortable lifestyle where she wasn't on the run, she had given up all hope of being able to return home and see all those who she cared about. She lightly gripped her jacket as she felt herself beginning to cry. Beginning to cry tears of joy that this hell of an experience was almost over, that she could finally rest easy, and more importantly, Naruto would no longer have to risk his life to protect hers.

"That's amazing..." Those were the only words Naruto could manage to think to say.

"Don't get too confident." Ein coldly said "We still have to escape before we can even think about living in comfort."

She was right, and they all knew it. They were still in danger of being murdered by the Phantom of the Uchiha, and the Phantom of inferno. Fighting against two equally vicious opponents would not be easy, they would try to avoid it at all costs.

Naruto safely placed the paper in his jacket pocket. His renewed confidence made him feel like his strength had increased tenfold "Thank you for all of your help Mr. Shikaku."

"Screw the thanks, just get out of here and watch your ass."

With that, the four left the safe house, and continued on their way, which was possibly their road to freedom.

"This is the place, isn't it?" Naruto asked as he looked around the near pitch black hanger which seemed void of life.

"This is the only Hanger in the city, it has to be." Reiji replied.

"But...Mr. Shikaku said he would make arrangements for the pilot to fly us out today...why does it look like no one's been here?" Hinata timidly asked as she held onto Naruto's arm.

He felt exactly as Hinata did. This entire situation looked didn't feel right.

They continued to walk into the abyss of darkness. The only sounds audible were the squeaking of rats, and the creaking of the metal hulls in the hanger. Naruto apprehensively checked each shadow. The dead silence was beginning make him nervous.

Reiji and Ein stood in back of Naruto and Hinata. If anything were to go wrong, they wanted to at least have their fronts covered while they covered their backs.

As they progressed, Naruto picked up a familiar scent. The strong iron like stench that he knew all too well, the smell of fresh blood.

He felt Hinata's grip tighten around his arm as her body suddenly stopped. She hid her face in his shoulder.

"Hinata, what's wrong?"

No reply. She kept her face buried within the fabric of his jacket. Her hands were trembling, and she seemed more nervous than usual.

Naruto looked in the direction Hinata last faced to see if he could find the cause of her worry. The moment he turned his head, he saw it. A man was laying on the ground next to one of the inactive planes. His throat was slashed and his fresh blood pooled around him. His eyes were still opened and he wore an expression of agony beyond comprehension.

Suddenly, he heard a slight hissing sound in the are like a tiny projectile coming for them at a high speed. Naruto forcefully pushed Hinata back, and shifted his body before the projectile could make contact. The moment he turned his body, he felt the slice on his cheek followed by the sound of a ricocheting bullet on the ground behind him.

'Damn it...' Reiji gritted his teeth 'Sniper...'

Naruto went to pull out his gun and face the sniper before another shot could be fired. The moment his hand made contact with the grip, in his peripheral vision he saw a hand wielding a dagger eager to penetrate his neck. Naruto caught the assailant's hand before he could claim his life.

"I just had to see it to believe it." He recognized Hikaru's voice. "Your reaction time is impeccable." He smirked as he tried to drive the dagger closer to Naruto's jugular artery.

Both Ein and Reiji quickly aimed at the orange eyed assassin and prepared to take their shot. Just as their fingers were about to pull the trigger, two more sniper bullets were fired their faces. The bullets just barely missed contact with their flesh.

"I'm afraid Naruto will be the only one I'll be playing with today, but you two are more than welcome to play with Cal."

The third Phantom of inferno revealed her presence on the mounted walk way to the others. Her face was illuminated by a stray beam of moonlight, and her murderous glare made her intentions clear. She was in a foul mood as usual, and was lusting for another kill.

"Now, let the games begin." Hikaru backed off of Naruto, and quickly swiped the dagger in front of his face; though it was only a little, he managed to draw blood. 'Just like his file said. All I need to do is keep this up.'

Naruto pulled out his gun from his jacket holster. Just as he got a lock on Hikaru, he dogged and slashed the blonde assassin's forearm. Naruto dropped the gun as his blood splatters across the ground.

"So quick on the draw, can't you appreciate a good knife fight?"

Naruto gritted his teeth and kneeled as he clenched his wound. "Why, Hikaru! Why the hell would you warn me about your attack if you were only gonna kill us later!"

"Why?" Hikaru slowly approached him "Because crushing people's hope is fun." he chuckled "If I had just attacked while you were comfortable inside a nice cozy house, I wouldn't have gotten a thrill from it. But now," he brought his face in earshot of Naruto "Now I get to see the look on your face when I kill you, or would you rather me kill that little bitch while you watch? Either works fine for..."

Naruto lunged at the Uchiha Phantom with his hidden knife, using the serrated edge to slice Hikaru's face. Hikaru managed to move back to avoid the blade making contact with his eye.

He stepped back, and felt the new gushing gash that ran from the bottom of his right jaw line, to his temple. Naruto stood, and took a defensive stance, signaling that he was ready for whatever sick game Hikaru had planned, and that he planned on being the victorious one.

Hikaru's psychotic laugh rang through the hanger like the howl of a banshee "Now the real fun can begin."

Cal and the two escaped Phantoms were engaged in a close fire fight, disregarding all boundaries. Close or long range, they fired the moment their target was in sight, each time narrowly missing each other.

Cal stared into the cold eyes of the first Phantom, she felt her hatred for this girl increase with each passing second that she remained alive. Every time she looked at her, she was reminded how she claimed the one she had wanted. All she could think of, was how Reiji was wrapped within her arms in passionate bliss.

Cal rushed into Ein, territory and pistol whipped her. Almost immediately after the initial strike, she felt a sharp pain at her side. She quickly stepped back to assess the damage done to her. She had been shot in her waist. Though the bullet went clean through, that did nothing to stop the profuse bleeding. Ein dizzily stood as she tried to recover her balance she lost from the head strike.

Before Ein could steadily stand, Cal began her assault once more. She ran slowly as to not exacerbate her blood loss. Just as the green haired girl was in arms reach, two bullets flew in front of her face. She sharply turned her attention to Reiji.

Reiji had the look of burning determination in his eyes "Cal, don't do this." he forcefully pleased "It doesn't have to be this way, you don't need to..."

"Shut up!" she spat "No one is gonna stop me from putting you and this bitch out of my misery!"

The moment Cal took her first step toward the disoriented ex Phantom, she heard three loud bursting noises, followed by agonizing pain in her thigh and arm. She felt her body go numb, and she fell to the ground. As her blood pooled around her, she felt all warmth begin to leave her. Cal desperately tried to lift her body from the ground, but nothing happened. Her body felt heavy, and she couldn't move. The most she could do, was watch as Reiji rushed to the aid of his bewildered beloved. All her senses began to fail. She could no longer hear the cacophony of bullets, she could no longer feel her body or the ground under her, and her vision was beginning to fade.

The clanging of Hikaru and Naruto's knives rang through the hanger. They traded blow for blow, and cut for cut, doing more damage with each encounter. Naruto's orange and black jacket was colored dark red with his fresh blood. Though the two had returned each other's blows, Hikaru's were always more damaging. Naruto was beginning to feel weary from blood loss. Whenever he tried to run and get a good berth between himself and Hikaru, Hikaru would quickly close it.

Hikaru lunged at Naruto once more. The blond Phantom caught his attacker's blade in the serrations of his own. This had been the only thing that was helping Naruto at this time. He was completely out of his element in close range combat, and Hikaru knew that.

Hikaru's blade deeply pierced the flesh of Naruto's shoulder as he tried to doge the strike. Naruto returned by driving the serrated edge across Hikaru's arm hoping to catch his wrist, but just like the other attempts, it failed.

Naruto cried out as he felt Hikaru's dagger being driven forcefully into his upper leg. With no support, the blonde phantom fell to the ground as his blood began to soak his pants leg. Hikaru looked down and admired how weak the supposed strongest Phantom looked.

Naruto shifted his gaze to Hinata who hid behind one of the planes. He tried to call out to her and tell her to run, but he could hardly speak.

"Don't worry about her." Hikaru mocked "I'm not gonna touch her until you're weak enough to watch me mutilate her, and you can see and hear all her pain without being able to do anything." He sinister smirked "Or are you already like that?"

With all the strength he could muster up, Naruto pushed himself from off the ground. He wearily stood, looking to challenge Hikaru once more.

"Well," Hikaru playfully commented on Naruto's newfound zeal "I see someone likes a good spanking. You and Sakura have that in common." He laughed.

Naruto steadily limped toward Hikaru as he stared into his bright orange eyes. He lifted his blade, and forced his hand toward his opponent's neck. Before he could even make a slight cut, Hikaru pushed Naruto back onto the ground.

The Phantom of the Uchiha placed his foot on Naruto's sternum "Well, this is it." Hikaru shook his head "I know you may not believe me when I say this, but I never wanted to have to do anything like this to you, but as you know, it's a job...I'm sorry." Hikaru pulled out his pistol, and slowly aimed it at Naruto's head "For what it's worth, you were an amazing opponent, I think it's a shame to lose such a skilled fighter as you."

Naruto shut his eyes. He reflected on his life, and quickly came to what he would regret most before dying. His soul regret, was that he wasn't able to protect Hinata, and that her death would come shortly after his.

The sound of a single gunshot being fired rang, and silenced the hanger.

Naruto felt something was off. He felt no pain, besides his wounds inflicted to him by Hikaru, but he didn't feel dead, though he never experienced what death had felt like in the first place. He felt Hikaru's foot stepping off of his chest, and heard staggered footsteps backing up.

He slowly opened his eyes, what he saw threw his off guard completely. Hikaru stood in front of his hurled over, gripping his chest where he was profusely bleeding, and Hinata who stood behind him with a smoking revolver.

Hinata pulled the trigger one more time, letting the bullet borough itself in between Hikaru's eyes, and exit through the back of his head along with portions of his brain.

She immediately dropped the gun and rushed to Naruto's side. She embraced his battered and bleeding body as she let her tears spill into his chest.

"Naruto..." she whined "I'm sorry...I'm so sorry I didn't do anything sooner..."

Naruto weakly lifted his hand and placed it on top of Hinata's "Please, Hinata, don't cry." he rubbed her hand trying to comfort her "You saved my life once again."

"I hardly did anything...if it wasn't for you trying to protect me, you could have fought at your full potential..."

Naruto slowly shook his head "Don't sell yourself short. I couldn't have won without you, after all, you're the one who delivered the final blow."

No words after that were spoken. Every pent up emotion Hinata had, was released through her tears. She used Naruto's knife and ripped up her jacket to make bandages to stop his bleeding, in her mind, it was the very least she could do for him.

To be continued

(Preview)

*sniffle* *sniffle* I...I can't believe he's gone...what am I supposed to do now? *sniffle* He was all I had...he was my entire life... (wipes tears from eyes)...Hikaru...

Next chapter

Chapter 10: Memories

Author's Note: OKAY :D so what better way to officially kick off the summer than with a new long ass chapter of The Good Life?

Random guy: ("Summer's been kicked off you asshole!")

:( I know

Not only that, but because I'll have so much free time, I'll be able to update all my stories on a much more regular basis.

Now onto my notes about the story, yes there was a lot of emotional connection in this chapter because as you know (or may not know) Phantoms can't exactly relate with just anyone, so why not relate to each other? And about Hikaru's death, I was actually having a lot of trouble deciding if He should kill Naruto, if they should kill each other, or if Naruto should kill Hikaru. It was quite a vexing problem but I solved it (as you already read) .

About the next chapter, no, it is not only a flashback chapter like the name implies. In chapter 5 Hikaru tells the story of how the two met, I wanna tell the story of how they got close and exactly why it hurt so much to lose him (besides the obvious reason of him being her boyfriend).

So yeah :) Sorry for the wait

Please R&R my Phantom faithfuls,

And ~Happy Murder~

P.s. When I saw Toonami come back on for the first time in four years, my inner otaku (which i hardly show...with the exception of my fanfiction) came out and I spazzed all phriggin night long to their lineup :) just thought you should all know that.

:3 and be on the look out for my Deadman Wonderland fic currently in the writing process

~Happy Murder~ for real this time.


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